Café Hunt; Bossman, Mount Lawley

This is a family café. And when I say family, I don't mean a 'bring your screaming gross children here' family, I mean a 'hey welcome to bossman I'm now your family' family. The minute you walk in it's like coming home, even if it's your first time and you literally have no idea who Daniel is. Daniel, as you'll come to know him, is your dad, and also the owner of this beautiful coffee house. Normally I'll just sit in a café with my book and coffee because I'm always visiting either too early, too late or too full for food, however this time I had a little snack. Which I was very impressed with. I love the extra savoury food options and the little greek sweet treats. This place brings everything great; the atmosphere, the baristas, the style and the music. Tucked away out of sight, the aroma draws you in to be seated in a fantastic ambient to hang and relax.

The atmosphere is cosy with a dash of sophistication. Sort of bohemian chic with a New York flare. Not to mention, the presentation of everything is excellent and the service is flawless. I have a tendency of gravitating towards places whom concern themselves sole with the enterprise of good coffee and conversation. Bossman lives up to this aim, there's an aura of sincerity and warmth in what these guys have cultivated, from the antique spoons to the folksy interior, to the lengthy conversations you can have with the cute nerdy baristas (yeah I had my eye on you, glasses-wearing-bearded-guy).

The coffee is very well brewed; beautifully balanced and perfect temperature. They are consistently well textured from appearance and the aroma is clean, with earthy notes and a nutty under tone. The espresso is rich and weighted in demeanour, and is about as dark as the environment. I couldn't help but eventually leave (aka pull myself away to get on with my responsibilities) with the impression that the nocturnal setting of the café perfectly distills the character of the coffee.

And of course to read; Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng (very sorry, but I couldn't tell you how to pronounce it).

I don't read these kinds of stories too often - family dramas with a focus on the everyday - but when I do I'm usually pleasantly surprised. As much as I'm a lover of amazing story arcs with problems and terrifying consequences, there really is something so fascinating about... people. A book that focuses on the dynamics between the members of an American family in the 1970s should be slow, and yet I finished this book in a single sitting. Probably because the characters are so rich and well-drawn. Celeste Ng has portrayed the intricate details of these people, of their relationships, of their complex web of contradictory emotions.

Ng opens with the statement "Lydia is dead". Then she delves into the lives of the Lee family as they learn of her disappearance and eventually have to deal with the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. The timeline of the novel skips from past to present, weaving in a history of the characters, gradually revealing the subtle ways this seemingly close-knit family do not know each other at all.It is subtle, which actually makes it more dramatic, in my opinion. It incorporates sexism, racism and miscegenation, without becoming a story about any of them. This quiet book is so powerful and haunting in the complexity of its simple moments and interactions.

The central story of the book - Lydia's death - is a platform on which the author explores this family, because it is really about the lives of people. The way Marilyn and James fulfill a need for each other that goes beyond love - it's also a sense of belonging and understanding they can't find elsewhere. The layers of love, jealousy and quiet resentment between people. I don't know how an author manages to make the mundane so vivid and so fascinating.

“Before that she hadn’t realized how fragile happiness was, how if you were careless, you could knock it over and shatter it.” - Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng

Atmosphere: 4/5 ★

Coffee: 5/5 ★

Service: 5/5 ★

Readability: 4/5 ★