Waffle House Rules Paperback – April 7, 2014

Enjoyable read. Great storytelling that at times reminded me of News from Lake Wobegon. The impact of tragedy and misfortune is no stranger to these characters, but the human spirit (and humor) endure.

I loved the stories, the flow of events and connecting the characters as they interact. The book was well written, moved along well I enjoyed it. good reading, entertaining.

The plot meanders and we only skim the surface of the characters.

Traumatic childhood events deliver their punch, in part, because a child does not know what to make of it, not having had enough living to process and fully understand the experience. The instincts to momentarily freeze, run, or fight, become embedded and the child is left to dance with it over time, re-recreating it over and over in an effort to somehow try and “fix” it. Dr. Jimmy Ryan grows up to become a wounded healer, a hero unable to heal or save himself, and driven to a mission of saving others. By dancing on the shores of the River Styx to snatch those near death, he often succeeds and steals souls from Hades and manages a little balm for himself, but he can never fix his original loss. A collection of characters, misfits really, hold space for the good doctor – his history and that of the town, honoring his mission by holding to simple truth, waiting until he needs it, and providing comfort (and humor) to his story. Sometimes dark and often humorous, Waffle House Rules holds a space for those tragic moments when the unthinkable happens and rather than face the shattering impact head on, we move, dancing for as long as we can, sometimes saving others.