Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Book Review

While visiting a bookstore, I came across Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and decided to read it. Find out what we thought of this Japanese novel and if you should also read it!

Before the Coffee Gets Cold Summary

In a alley in Tokyo, there is a café called Funiculi Funicula where customers can travel to a time that they won’t as long as they follow the rules. And the rules are weird but must be followed or you will be stuck in time. 

The reasons behind the rules aren’t explained and many people don’t even want to travel in time after hearing the rules. But there are a few customers that want to travel in time even though they know that visiting the past won’t change the present.

We get short stories about mostly the staff and their friends and events that happen that make them travel in time. The stories are moving and might even make you cry. 

Commentary

The novel was originally a play that started in 2010 and was eventually made into a novel in 2015. There are multiple sequels and I will be giving them a read in the near future. 

Kawaguchi writes a brilliant novel that will make you appreciate time and your loved ones a lot more after reading this book. A question that this novel asks the readers is would you travel back in time even if it wouldn’t change the present?

As the characters discover, having one last conversation with someone they loved is worth it. Their time is limited and they must get to the point or they will return to the present. 

There are a lot of messages to take away from this novel and I can see why the novel and series has been popular with readers. The characters are likable and the storytelling is done well and it reads easily.

Conclusion

When I came across this novel in the bookstore, I didn’t know what to expect. But I am glad that I gave Before the Coffee Gets Cold a chance and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This is a novel I recommend and with a little over 200 pages, you can read it in one sitting. Happy reading!