A diner waitress in late 1970s Canada listens to her customers' stories in DeGrace's plodding second novel (after Treading Water
). Young Jo leaves an unfortunate situation at home, only to land a waitress gig at a roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere. One windy day sends several travelers to Jo's tables, and each is more than ready to share their story: an elderly woman with nothing to lose, a ruined young businessman on the run, a well-meaning Mountie with a crisis and many more, all in one way or another connected to a hitchhiking hippie named Pink. The parade of archetypes through the diner is a weak stand-in for a plot, and reading their painfully predictable backstories is equivalent to a dose of Ambien. The lack of insight and drama is terminal. (Nov.)
