The Man Who Came and Went book cover

A grill cook who can mind-read orders…
A diner that changes lives…
Tips appreciated.

  • "Joe Stillman has brought us an ensemble of empathetic characters, all in the elusive search for happiness in this witty and poignant exploration of love, expectation, and mortality. I laughed, I cried, I loved it."
    D.J. MacHale, NYT bestselling author
  • “This book was ASTOUNDING. A masterpiece. A true work of art. Perfect for Neil Gaiman fans.”
    Molly Likovich, “Magical Molly”
  • “This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. I feel like I’m carrying these characters with me throughout my life. And that’s one of the hallmarks of a great story teller.”
    Hank Garner, Author Stories Podcast
  • “So, it's funny, it's sometimes really funny, it's engaging, its wise, it's calm, and it's sneakily generous and life-affirming, as well as thought provoking and even a bit comforting.”
    Pop Bob, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
  • “This is a book to savor, that I didn’t want to end… absorbing, thought-provoking, and profoundly beautiful. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I know it will resonate with me always.”
    Bill Kates, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “This is a page-turner that is beautifully-written, full of energy and charm. It is also unashamedly feel-good, and who doesn’t need that right now.”
    Catmandu, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I just finished your beautiful novel. I had to sit in silence for more than a moment, because somehow, you’ve written the book I’ve been longing to read.”
    Yvette Kaplan, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “There's humor, sadness and surprise leading to a climax that will stay with me forever. Read it as soon as possible. It might just change the way you look at the world. And yourself.”
    Gail was here, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “A page-turner and a heart-warmer (but in no way sappy). Stillman is so good at sketching the interior lives of this varied group of characters. A beautiful book.”
    Lisa Davis, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I can’t wait to share it with my book club cuz they’ll love it, but also so I’ll have people to talk about it with!”
    Jessie Thompson, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “It’s a profoundly inspirational guide book. It has depth and tenderness and beauty and a role model in the extraordinary title character. Get it, read it and give it to your friends.”
    AF Washington County, NY, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I read it in one night. I could not put it down.”
    Elizabeth Lippolis, Amazon Verified Reader
  • "Joe Stillman has brought us an ensemble of empathetic characters, all in the elusive search for happiness in this witty and poignant exploration of love, expectation, and mortality. I laughed, I cried, I loved it."
    D.J. MacHale, NYT bestselling author
  • “This book was ASTOUNDING. A masterpiece. A true work of art. Perfect for Neil Gaiman fans.”
    Molly Likovich, “Magical Molly”
  • “This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. I feel like I’m carrying these characters with me throughout my life. And that’s one of the hallmarks of a great story teller.”
    Hank Garner, Author Stories Podcast
  • “So, it's funny, it's sometimes really funny, it's engaging, its wise, it's calm, and it's sneakily generous and life-affirming, as well as thought provoking and even a bit comforting.”
    Pop Bob, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
  • “This is a book to savor, that I didn’t want to end… absorbing, thought-provoking, and profoundly beautiful. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I know it will resonate with me always.”
    Bill Kates, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “This is a page-turner that is beautifully-written, full of energy and charm. It is also unashamedly feel-good, and who doesn’t need that right now.”
    Catmandu, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I just finished your beautiful novel. I had to sit in silence for more than a moment, because somehow, you’ve written the book I’ve been longing to read.”
    Yvette Kaplan, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “There's humor, sadness and surprise leading to a climax that will stay with me forever. Read it as soon as possible. It might just change the way you look at the world. And yourself.”
    Gail was here, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “A page-turner and a heart-warmer (but in no way sappy). Stillman is so good at sketching the interior lives of this varied group of characters. A beautiful book.”
    Lisa Davis, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I can’t wait to share it with my book club cuz they’ll love it, but also so I’ll have people to talk about it with!”
    Jessie Thompson, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “It’s a profoundly inspirational guide book. It has depth and tenderness and beauty and a role model in the extraordinary title character. Get it, read it and give it to your friends.”
    AF Washington County, NY, Amazon Verified Reader
  • “I read it in one night. I could not put it down.”
    Elizabeth Lippolis, Amazon Verified Reader

Fifteen year old Belutha Mariah, our storyteller, is the oldest of three kids from three different fathers. Her life’s goal is to keep her dysfunctional mom, Maybell, from procreating yet again and to leave the coffin-sized town of Hadley, Arizona the second she graduates high school. Along comes the new grill cook at Maybell’s Diner, Bill Bill, a mysterious drifter with the ability to mind-read orders. As word spreads, the curious and desperate pour into this small desert town to eat at Maybell’s. Some believe Bill knows the secrets of the universe. Belutha figures he’s probably nuts. But his cooking starts to transform the lives of locals and visitors, and Belutha finds her angry heart opening, as Bill begins to show her the porous boundary between this life and what comes after.

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