I don’t pretend to have a connection to the spiritual world, but on several occasions I have felt the presence of a dead relative. Sometimes the feeling washes over me when I am going through a hard time. On other occasions, I have dreams where my mother, father, or grandmother appears, often staying silent, just being there. Rather than frightening, I find these encounters comforting, like someone is watching over me.
So I read Laura Buchwald’s The Coat Check Girl with an open mind. Buchwald, according to her bio, has a strong belief in the afterlife and has consulted with numerous mediums, with what’s described as “convincing results.” She lives in New York City, but has spent a significant amount of time in New Orleans where any travel brochure will tell visitors not to be surprised if they encounter ghosts walking around among the living.
Laura Buchwald (Photo Credit: Shirin Tinati)
Josie Gray has “the gift,” the ability to sense the spirits around her and even interact with them. The death of her cherished grandmother, Nanette, has thrown Josie into a tailspin. She works at, Bistrot, a well known restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village which has a storied history but has fallen on hard times. As the receptionist, Josie’s official duties include taking reservations, greeting guests, especially those who visit frequently, and filling in whenever and wherever she’s needed. Josie tries to hold the place together, but still in a state of grief, she’s drinking too much, managing a difficult relationship with her new boyfriend, Patrick, and is traumatized when she begins to sense spirits around her.
What saves Josie is the appearance of the new coat check girl, Mia. Bright, friendly, helpful and able to talk to spirits, too, Mia is the steadying force Josie needs. Mia tells Josie that she’s from New Orleans and used to run the family’s restaurant there. She’s come to New York for the chance to make some money, so she can return to take care of her four year-old daughter, Rita. Rather than dismiss Josie’s fears, Mia helps her to understand why the spirits have chosen this time to reach out to her.
The most aggressive spirit, Ruby, not only speaks to Josie, but begins to play practical jokes, like hiding the saffron that chef needed for his bouillabaisse. When one diner sends the soup back, saying it was “tasteless,” chef confronts the man, pours bouillabaisse all over the table, and storms out. Another chef, Johnny takes over, but no one knows if the restaurant will survive without chef.
Buchwald has spent time researching how restaurants work and creates a realistic setting that readers will recognize. Those who work at Bistrot have formed a family where members look out for each other. When Patrick disappears for long stretches, Curtis, one of the waiters, and Derek, the bartender, are concerned for Josie. When Derek begins dating a much younger woman, Josie tries to warn him the relationship is fraught with problems. Sam, who came to New York to become an actor, needs Josie to push him towards his dream. She arranges for Patrick, a photographer, to shoot headshots for Sam. And she encourages him to engage with a celebrity couple, the Dunnehills – think Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy – for career advice.
The novel is set in the summer of 1999, and Buchwald brings in some of the major events that impacted life during that time. In a very hot July, a blackout that would last 19 hours brought the city to a halt and endangered lives. Rather than close, Johnny cooked the food they had before it would spoil and set up a buffet. Candles lit the interior as people wandered in, happy to find a place to eat and gather. When John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane went missing off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, the staff pushed through their anxiety, knowing that he and his wife, Carolyn and her sister, Lauren, were probably dead. Since JFK Jr. had often visited Bistrot, the event felt personal. And as the world braces for Y2K, fearing that there would be a widespread computer glitch that would create havoc as the calendar year changed, the staff joked and hoped everything would be fine.
When Josie’s break up with Patrick happens, it’s painful, but she decides to visit Mia who had gone back to New Orleans. She wanted to visit Mia’s restaurant, the Esplanade House, and see some of the sights the coat check girl often mentioned. Her route leads her to one of the city’s famous cemeteries, Saint Louis Number One, where she finally begins to piece together everything that has occurred since Nanette’s death. The trip turns out to be a pivotal moment in Josie’s life.
Josie is not always likable, but people who are trying to process their grief often lash out at those who are trying to help. Anyone who has been on a similar journey, now or in the past, will relate to Josie’s behavior. Those who doubt an afterlife and whether spirits do make appearances among the living, may not change their minds. But when that next dream features a loved one who has gone, maybe they will not be so quick to dismiss the spiritual world.
The Coat Check Girl
Laura Buchwald
Top Bigstock photo: Entrance to St. Louis Cemetery Number One
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