Sometimes, amazing and surprising things happen in our bookstore.
About a week ago, a few customers came in looking for the book “In the Seat of a Stranger’s Car,” by Beau Flemister.
Being unfamiliar with the title and author, we discovered it was actually Hawaii fiction, written by someone who had grown up in Hawaii. Immediately, we were impressed with the book’s quality cover art — already a good sign. Designing an eye-catching cover is important, because unfortunately books truly are first judged by their covers by customers.
But, since the book was printed by a smaller publisher, unfortunately, it was not easily available for us to get — at first.
A couple days later, into the store walks a guy, asking if we would consider carrying his book in the store. He introduced himself: Beau Flemister. Yep! The very same author of “In the Seat of a Stranger’s Car: A Tale About Parking in Paradise.”
We agreed to stock his books, and without us even trying, “In the Seat of a Stranger’s Car” is literally selling itself — and fast!Beyond the cover, what customers find inside intrigues them even more.
This is truly a unique tale, seasoned with all the mixed cultural flavors of everyday reality in modern Hawaii.
Revolving around a mix of quirky characters who work as valets at a hotel, the group discovers a young boy in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle at their workplace. Uncertain what is the best thing to do, somehow they convince themselves to raise the child together instead of surrendering him to a foster situation.
The zaniness of the tale quickly begins to unfold.
With flavors of Paul Theroux’s “Hotel Honolulu,” Lois-Ann Yamanaka and dashes of Chris McKinney, this is one of the most unusual, genuine and unforgettable Hawaii novels out there.
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Ed Justus is the owner of Talk Story Bookstore in Hanapepe. Yuriko and Ed Justus are Kalaheo residents. Talk Story Bookstore is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Fridays.
