Valerie Norris is an 18-year-old black student at Maryknoll University who, ever since she first started menstruating, has been able to project a force field from her hands. She has used this secret skill to save some lives.

Bud Stanfield is a 73-year-old white widower who is a brain cancer survivor. Ever since his surgery, he has been having visions that predict what will happen and its long-term consequences if he doesn’t intervene.

Bud has seen Val in one of his visions, and seeks her out. They become fast friends because they can talk freely about their gifts. But they enjoy each other’s company as well. They begin a relationship although they both know it can’t last long, given their age difference. Is is "love"? Well, they're not sure. But then Bud has a vision that changes everything, and he makes the ultimate sacrifice for Val.

Evaluation: This book is small but packs a wallop. It’s full of surprises from the imagination of the author. I wasn’t creeped out like some bloggers by the relationship between Val and Bud: to me, once you’re a consenting adult, age compatibility comes from the inside, not the outside. But in this and other ways, the book gives you a lot to think about. It’s definitely worth reading! ( )

There is a LOT packed into this small book. Val is a young college student, just hanging out for a bit at the Cup of Joe coffee shop, when a would-be robber comes in. Before she has time to really adjust to what is happening, her hand is stilled by Henry Stanfield (Bud), 73 years old. An unlikely friendship develops between the two, who each have their own powers, and there are some adventures as they go off to change the course of fate, and an unexpected occurrence that might throw you off, but keep reading .. and the power to change the course of the world ends up in their hands.

That's all I'm going to say about the plot. This is a decidedly clever and absorbing read. It could stand a bit of polishing here and there, but this novella-sized book packs a wonderfully satisfying punch .. and a totally unexpected ending. Well worth the read.

QUOTES

"Watching other people's children is one thing; they go home at the end of the day. But when they're your own and you're up all night when they have a fever and are sick as a dog and you're worrying your head off if they're going to be all right and you hold and pamper them all night with no regard for your sleep and the next day when they feel better and want to go outside to play and you tell them no and they say 'I hate you' that's when you know what it's like to have kids."

OK ... so that is the longest run-on sentence ever, and is not illustrative of how the book is written, but I had to use it because as a parent, I can definitely relate! ( )

In this slim novella we meet Val, a young woman who can telepathically move objects without touching them. When Val witnesses a crime at a coffee shop, she longs to intervene but a strange older man named Bud stops her. He knows the secret she's hidden her whole life and tells her that intervening in this crime would ruin her life. Shaken and confused, Val agrees to meet Bud again, discovering that the old man has a secret power of his own. It seems that Bud can see particular instances of the future and can mysteriously change the fate he is privy to. The friendship between Val and Bud grows and they find themselves sharing more and more about their powers and their lives. But this friendship is tested when Bud realigns Val's fate after seeing one of his frightening visions. More importantly, Bud begins to tap into Val's powers and instruct her on how to use her abilities to the fullest. Though Val is unsure of why Bud is doing these things, she feels an inexplicable trust in him, and it's not until Bud's final vision that Val discovers that she and Bud must make the ultimate sacrifice in order for the fate of the world to be secure. Both strange and alluring, Coffee and Fate takes its readers on a mind bending journey through freewill and fate and shows them how even the slightest action or inaction can change the course of a life.

I've been reading reviews of this book all over the place, and after reading Sandy and Natalie's reaction to it, I knew this was a book I couldn't ignore. I was all set to make my purchase when an unexpected email arrived from Natalie. Did I want her to send me a copy of this book? You bet your darn bippy I did! When it arrived, I put aside what I was currently reading and sat and read it straight through. I have to say it was a wild ride that really challenged a lot of preconceived notions I had about fiction. The line this book drew between reality and fantasy was interesting to ponder over, and the story it tells was both frightening and exquisite.

Erbacher does a great job of making these two pivotal protagonists seem like normal everyday people, but these people just happen to have the fate of the universe in their hands. Of course, early on in the story, these powers seem like mere flukes of nature and it isn't clear why Bud and Val have been gifted with such awesome abilities. As their friendship grows, so do the powers they have, and despite their reluctance to use these powers, they find themselves doing things that not only change each other's lives but the lives of those around them. There is a lot of second guessing in the story, and both Bud and Val have moments when their conscience is troubled by their rare abilities.

The relationship between Bud and Val was a strange one. Though he's a septuagenarian and she's barely into her twenties, the two dote on each other almost like lovers, and at times, lines of propriety are crossed. I actually think the relationship between them made me a little uncomfortable, though Erbacher does a lot to keep things from feeling too creepy. There's a great amount of affability and affection between these two, which is one reason it was so hard for me to see Bud interfering with Val's fate. It seemed like he was creepily taking advantage somehow and using her naïveté against her. Something about this duo made me feel uneasy and it's arguable whether or not this relationship had sinister hallmarks. Maybe I'm just letting my personal feelings get in the way.

As Bud relates the story of his power to Val, I became sad and frightened for him. In retrospect, there are things Bud should have done that were impossible to do, and he is living a life shadowed by guilt and regret. I think Bud was hoping to change things for Val in order to compensate for the actions of his past, but as time marches on and his complicity with Val grows, Bud begins to see the big picture and forces Val into making a terrible choice. When I finally realized what was happening, I was aghast and felt sick in the pit of my stomach. Though Val has willingly followed Bud along this path, she's not free to make her own choices until it's too late. Bud has once again orchestrated Val's fate, and this time, it will be impossible to shake off these changes.

As I read, I was subconsciously asking myself a lot of questions about fate and freewill. How terrible would it be to be visited by visions of the future, knowing there was something I needed to do to change things, and afterward, wondering if I had done enough or if the changes I made would ultimately prove more catastrophic? How much love does it take for you to sacrifice yourself for another? And does loving someone give you the right to alter their fate if given the chance? These are all sticky questions, and aside from making me think about what I would do in these situations, the book showed me that not everything about life and fate are clear-cut. There are numerous shades of gray involved, and like Bud, sometimes people have trouble interpreting those shades.

Though there were some aspects that were just plain creepy, overall I would have to applaud the story that Erbacher created, not only for its originality but for its ability to provoke strong and strange reactions in its readers. It is, at times, a discomfiting book that presents a lot of sticky ethical questions, but there's no doubt in my mind that it will keep you flipping the pages, entranced by the not-so-normal people that it seeks to capture. A very interesting but dark read. ( )

A Tiny Book with a Wallop of a Story:

Did I just read all of that in a tiny little book? I'm stunned. I can't believe what I've just experienced.

I thought I'd be able to read it right away but life got in the way. It sat on my desk unabashedly, and quietly waited for me to pick it up and read just one page. So I finally got a chance on this stormy night and opened to the first page.

One sitting. That's all it took to read 134 pages of page-flipping anxiety and tension mounting to see what would happen next. It would have been criminal of me to take a break and deprive myself of reading it all at once. I could not put it down.

Val is a young black woman who has just entered into college, and Bud is an older white man in his seventies -- quite an odd friendship that they develop from one afternoon at a coffee shop because of unexpected events. Bud has an ability to know things, and Val has her own special abilities. A connection between the two is born and the ultimate inevitability of fate begins to play its incredibly twisted game. What choices would you make if you could see the future? What about the ability to move stuff physically without touching it? How would you use that power? Is it a gift?

I cannot in good conscience tell you any further details or events about this story because it would destroy the opportunity to experience this firsthand and to flip the pages as I did. Suffice it to say that there is the slight chance that there might be some readers that get a tad...uncomfortable in a few sections, but isn't that what happens when you mess with fate and then maybe have to do a little backpedaling to adjust?

The writing was absolutely fantastic, one chapter flowing to another with such an ease that is missing in most highly promoted and publicized books. The subject matter and events experienced by Val and Bud are astonishing, comforting, and extraordinary.

To be quite honest, I'm stunned that there isn't more of a scramble to read this incredibly creative book and discover the twisted little maze of life's game. This is a powerhouse story in a tiny little book that packs more jaw-dropping moments and speechless intensity than some overly promoted books from large publishing houses. I'm waiting for this little story to take the world by storm. R.J. Erbacher has created a calculated and gripping account of what happens when sometimes, you screw around with fate, and sometimes, when you can't. ( )

This is a book that is heartbreakingly beautiful, with unforgettable characters. R. J. Erbacher has written a haunting book, about two very different people, who connect in a very interesting way.

In this short read, you get so many emotions going that it leaves your head spinning.

Val is a college student, who can move things with her mind, Bud is an elderly man, who can see the future and can prevent things from happening (or not). When these two come together in a coffee shop, their fates are melded together. They become great friends, and together their future is set.

Should you mess with fate, just because you can? This is a recurring theme throughout the story.

I don't want to say too much, but this is a story you will not forget. I do have to tell you, dear readers, there is one little (?) thing that may cause squirmy discomfort, but believe me when I say, there is a good reason for it. The ending is just wrenching, I actually wept. But.....

I really liked this book!

I received this book from the author for review. Thank you!!! ( )