A Place at the Table

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www.susanrebeccawhite.com

A Place at the Table
Susan Rebecca White
2013

The Summary
Following the lives of Alice Stone, Bobby Banks, and Amelia Brighton, Susan Rebecca White weaves a subtle tale of loss, acceptance, and life in general as her characters cross paths in the unexpectedly popular Café Andres.

The Good
To be perfectly honest, A Place at the Table is something of a heartbreaker.  Alice Stone, Amelia Brighton, and Bobby Banks all struggle with individual trials as they seek to find themselves and redefine themselves.  Whether its familial turmoil, divorce, or personal loss, Amelia and Alice and Bobby each face tragic circumstances that they must surmount and, in time, accept.

I will say, however, I loved Bobby's story.

Alice's tale comes in bits and pieces, through hints and recollections she sparingly supplies to Bobby and Amelia when they meet, so I didn't really have the opportunity to fully embrace her as a character.  I liked her, but I didn't have much invested in her.

Likewise, I liked and enjoyed Amelia's story.  As a woman who's recently undergone a rocky divorce, Amelia is on a quest to recover herself and uncover who she is and where she comes from.  I really enjoyed reading about how she changed, how she grows into her own and, more importantly, how she learns to love and accept herself after being emotionally devastated by her husband.

However, I simply have a special place in my heart for Bobby.

Maybe, I liked his story best because it came first in the book.  Maybe, I liked his story because he grows up in the southern United States.  Either way, I latched onto his story as my favorite.  As his story progressed, I couldn't help wishing the best for him - and I was infinitely grateful for his Meemaw, who decided, "Your meemaw is not going to let anyone throw you to the wolves.  Your meemaw is going to keep you loved and safe."

That was it for me.  I needed a box of Kleenex.

The Bad
I found very few negatives in A Place at the Table.  I mean, certainly nothing worth pointing out as a major deterrent.

I would like to have read more about Bobby and I would like to have found more of his story further into the book; however, I was suitably captivated by Amelia's story in the latter half of the book that it isn't really a major complaint.  I'll get over it, you know.

The Ugly
Alice faces segregation and prejudice, sometimes blatant racism, and endures a terrible schism in her family.  Bobby finds himself ostracized for his homosexuality and faces further tragedy in losing two of the most important people in his life.  Amelia endures a messy, terrifying divorce, which leaves her to pick up the pieces of her life and put them back together again, and struggles to find her own identity when her family has no past - and no apparent future.

Let me put it bluntly:  it's emotionally draining.