Pierre, a lifelong Parisian waiter, watches people come and go, sizing them up with great accuracy and empathy. Pierre doesn't look outside too much; he prefers to let the world come to him. When the cafA(c) goes under, Pierre finds himself at a loss. As we follow his stream of thought over three days, Pierre's humanity and profound solitude are revealed.

Dominique Fabre is the author of six novels. He won the Marcel Pagnol Prize for FantAmes in 2001. The Waitress was New is his first book to appear in English.

Jordan Stump is a noted translator of modern French novelists, including Marie Redonnet and Aric Chevillard.