"Zerndt's jewel-like tale of a family grieving after the father's suicide strikes every note right. The novel deserves rich praise and many readers." - from Publisher's Weekly's The BookLife Prize in Fiction

"Every character has his or her particular preoccupations and Zerndt handles them with aplomb, using his large cast to shine varied lights on the themes of family, grieving, and hope after loss." - Kirkus Reviews

One year after the suicide, Carson Long still hates his father. He hates him for abandoning his sister, Georgie, and for turning his mother into a young widow. And he hates his father for leaving behind his stupid tree. Four of them are planted outside the restaurant, one for each family member. That is until Carson's mother hires a local landscaper to remove them in the middle of the night. This seemingly unremarkable act soon sets in motion of series of events that leaves more than just young Carson groping in the dark for answers.

Set in a small Colorado ski town, The Roadrunner Café is a unique novel told from multiple points of view about loss and the lengths some will go to heal the human heart.