Blog tour: The Coffee Shop Masquerade by T.A. Morton

This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

‘A mysterious mask abandoned in a Hong Kong coffee shop eavesdrops on the lives of those who enter, asking, who are we beneath our masks?

‘The Coffee Shop Masquerade is a captivating exploration of transient lives seeking meaning amid everyday encounters, much like the alluring cup of coffee that unites and intrigues us all.

‘As the enigmatic forces inspired by the Tao Te Ching loom over them, choices must be made, secrets revealed, and unexpected bonds forged – all under the watchful gaze of a mysterious mask.’

In The Coffee Shop Masquerade, by T.A. Morton, we meet a whole cast of characters across a set of loosely-linked short stories set in Hong Kong. While the majority of them are originally from Europe or North America, what they all have in common is dissatisfaction stemming from a lack of connection in their lives – and their patronage of a coffee shop where a strange mask has been “accidentally” left by a recent visitor.

I found The Coffee Shop Masquerade a compelling, curious read. Turning to a different character each chapter – including, for a few pages, the shop’s well-used red couch – and featuring a sentient mask and a hirsute, holy local outcast known as Monkey, it has an experimental feel, and there’s constantly something new happening to retain your attention.

With so many characters and stories on offer, I naturally had favourites that I found particularly sympathetic or compelling. At the top of my list of characters were Andrew, Rob, Chris, and Jasmine, the first two because they seemed the kindest and most open to listening to others, and the other two because I felt sympathy for them.

Perhaps due to their own unhappiness, quite a few of the primary and secondary characters in this book come across as judgemental and intolerant. Poor Chris and Jasmine seem to bear the brunt of this, the former because he’s fat (the fatphobia is quite something in some cases), and the latter because people tend to see her as unintelligent and incapable, and put her down as a result.

For this reason, two of my favourite chapters are Jasmine’s Choice and Rob’s Mission, in which Jasmine has opportunities to get one over on her creepy, dismissive boss Patrick, as well as imagine a future for herself where she’s treated with more respect.

Another standout chapter for me was Mad Lucy, where we learn the sad, yet fascinating story of an older resident many people shun or abuse for being “dirty” and “crazy”, but whose life could have been so much better if anyone had attempted to engage with, or understand her – as Andrew does, only for a rude, triggering remark from another coffee shop to shatter Lucy’s rare equilibrium.

I thought the author’s use of a quote from the Tao Te Ching at the start of each chapter was inspired and worked well, as it tied disparate stories together, helped set the tone for the short story ahead (including reassuring me I was “right” to dislike particular characters!), and reinforces the relevance of the ancient composition to the various coffee shop patrons.

The Coffee Shop Masquerade is an interesting, kaleidoscopic story of alienation and connection in Hong Kong.