Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe

by Heather Webber
Genres: Fiction / Magical Realism
Published on July 16, 2019
Pages: 336
Format: eBook Source: Library

Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.

As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.

Anna Kate’s mother left Wicklow before anyone else knew she was pregnant. She never came back. She made Anna Kate promise that she would never go there. Her grandmother Zee came to visit and shared stories about magical blackbirds. Anna Kate’s mother banned the blackbird stories.

Now her mother and grandmother have died and Anna Kate is required to run Zee’s cafe for 3 months as part of the will. Anna Kate is about to find out that Zee’s stories might have been true.

Zee’s specialty is a pie that makes the people who eat it dream of their deceased loved ones. Those loved ones can talk to them. Some people rely on these messages to get through their day. Some people in town won’t eat the pie because they don’t want to know.

I love this author’s books. She weaves in magical realism with a small town Southern story. She highlights the class prejudice that is rampant.

In this book Anna Kate finds out that her father’s family is what passes for high society. Her paternal grandmother blames Anna Kate’s mother for the death of her son. This vendetta she has against her deceased son’s fiancee is first passed on to this supposed granddaughter. Dealing with her grief instead of lashing out will require a whole mindset shift. It will also rock the foundations of her family and relationships in the town.

This book is great. I’d recommend it for everyone.