Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese novel about a mysterious little café in Tokyo. There is a legend
that anyone who sits at a designated seat in the café will be able to contact a
person in the past. However, this opportunity comes with a list of rules to be
carefully followed. The most important (and possibly most heartbreaking): they
must leave the past and return to the present before their coffee gets cold.
This story focuses on four customers, each with their own reasons to travel to
the past, whether that is to overcome a regret or receive closure from a
meeting.I rated this book a ⅗ stars. I didn't really have a problem with the story, it was more so the writing that I didn't enjoy. I expected a lot from this book both from reviews and just being interested by the premise, and while I got emotional while reading it, the writing felt childish (but this may just be the translation..) to the point where nothing really resonated and I got over any sadness fairly quickly. I usually love books that are the simple-language-yet-emotionally-gripping type but this one just wasn't hard hitting in the same way! I think the writing undermined the lessons and impact that this book could have. Still, it was an easy and interesting read so I recommend it to anyone interested in a fantasy short story collection!
Reviewed by Sam, Grade 10
Glendale Central Library
2 comments:
There is a small basement café in Tokyo, lit by sepia lights and completely underground. It's hard to tell time in the café because of this. There's an urban myth that if you sit in a certain chair, and the manager pours you a cup of coffee, you can go back in time. All you have to do is make it back before the coffee gets cold. However, there are many other rules to adhere to, especially the one that says it is impossible to change the present by going back to the past. Despite all these restrictions, the book follows four people as they go back, intricately weaving their storylines together at the end.
This book is so small and sweet and I love how relaxing it is. There's a certain slow pace about the writing that focuses on small details, some of which just exist for pure entertainment instead of always having some hidden meaning that would be revealed later. It made me unexpectedly emotional too, since the beginning was so slow and I didn't think I would be very engaged. The book sets up its reveals very slowly, so you don't even know the significance of an event until it hits you all of a sudden.
Reviewed by LL, Grade 11
Montrose Library
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