Sometimes the simple emotions and the ordinary stuff of life that contains within it the possibility of big things, are the hardest things to portray well, but this small world draws us in. In part this is because Viggo's curiosity becomes the vehicle for the reader to enter into the cosy scenes in the cafe. There is personal pain, doubt, but it's mostly in the background and the cafe is a place of warmth and affection without expectations. Charming and filled with quiet hope.