Fables about discovering some great metaphysical or spiritual truth are becoming almost commonplace in the publishing world. Add to that growing genre The Why Café, a delightful, if not original, story of a man who gets lost and finds himself all at the same time.

This time, the lost soul is the author himself. He gets stuck in traffic one day, takes a wrong turn and ends up in the middle of nowhere, until he spots a little roadside café. But this is no ordinary café; this is “The Why Café,” where the menu includes enlightenment with a side dish of self-discovery, and before long the author is enjoying a great meal of food for the body as well as the soul.

The Why Café asks important questions about who we are and why we are here in a sweet and fun way that doesn’t require you jump out of the comfort zone. It’s more like a gentle nudging. The insights are wise and engaging, but ultimately I felt a little let down because I’d already visited this café, in books like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Joan Brady’s God on a Harley,” and others I’ve found over the years.

Still, this is a short book packed with nuggets of wisdom and is certainly worth slowing down for long enough to get a hot cup of coffee, a donut, and a good read that just might turn your life around and get you back on the right road again.