“In his novel, Paperbacks & Baguettes, Michael M. Brownstein captures small moments in an urban bookstore cafe while portraying the evolution of a romance.

Composed of 40 short interconnected vignettes, the narrative announces at its outset the primacy of place by introducing the bookstore cafe, where “Sometimes it feels like the room exhales before anyone speaks.” The shop’s exact urban location isn’t specified, but that’s unimportant as inside its walls, a universe takes shape. Gradually, a developing relationship between an employee and a frequent customer comes into focus and commands attention.

True to its literary form, one noted for experimentation with elements like time and structure, Paperbacks & Baguettes leaves readers to fill in the intentional gaps left in the chronology and storyline. Brownstein enables this by providing suggestions of the pair’s building interest through their nuanced glances and movements. He imbues the prose with a poetic sensibility, often ending chapters with a sentence evoking the store’s atmosphere.

With its slow pacing and contemplative quality, Paperbacks & Baguettes is more akin to a soothing cup of tea than a bracing jolt of caffeine…readers will enjoy this warm, measured look at the quiet connections between people and the significance of place.”