the cafe on the edge of the world,
by John Strelecky

I walked away from this book with an overwhelming feeling of “what the hell is the point of life?” The existential dread lasted a solid four or five days, whereby I kept going back and forth, questioning all of my life decisions. For that reason, I didn’t love this book. But also, I adored it.

The Cafe on the Edge of the World (sometimes called The Why Cafe) is a very short novel (just over 100 pages) and can be downed in a single sitting. It follows the path of John who, running out of petrol on a fairly desolate road, stops in at the nearest cafe to refuel. What follows is his conversations with the restaurant employees who all seem to know a little more than they let on… John and the workers discuss three questions on the menu, and unravel my poor little brain in the process.

I’m a firm believer that if a book sticks with you, invading your thoughts for every second you’re awake, even if those thoughts are frightening, then it’s a good book. I was truly scared of this book because it made me address some questions about myself, questions that months after reading I still haven’t answered. I can’t say whether or not I recommend this one because, to be honest, if you’re in a weird headspace like I was when I read it, then you’ll likely end up a shell for a few weeks and I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy. HOWEVER if you can handle existentialism, then go for it!