Before the Coffee Gets Cold (originally written in Japanese) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: magical realism and time travel fiction
Age: Adult
What is this book about? When the novel begins, the reader learns that there is an urban legend about a small, basement café in Tokyo called Funiculi Funicula where time travel is possible. Although the café exists in reality, its atmosphere has an ethereal feel. It’s as if passing time does not exist inside of the café. There is no natural lighting to signal daytime or nighttime, and there are three clocks on the wall all set with different times. It is always cool and comfortable inside even on miserably hot summer days. But there is no air conditioning, just a ceiling fan. The owners of the café have no explanation as to why the café is always cool. And there is a specific seat which is usually occupied by a ghostly woman in a white dress, at a specific table, where curious customers can travel in time if they follow some nonnegotiable rules, the most important one being the trip can last only as long as it takes a cup of coffee to get cold. Along with the two proprietors and one waitress, there are four main characters and three minor ones who interact with each other in present time in the café and in the past and future during time travel. The characters know that if they travel to the past, they cannot change the present. Yet they go. They go for a second chance, to rekindle passion, and to make amends. And in travelling to the past, they gain insight in how to make a better future.
My Review: I really like the title of this novel because it hints at what the storyline is about. It suggests that we tackle life’s problems and make life better for ourselves and others before our time on Earth runs out or before the coffee gets cold. Like the characters in the story, I have someone from my past who I would like to go back in time and see again. Do you? Kawaguchi poses this existential question.
Words that Describe this Novel: supernatural, thought provoking, existential, hopeful
Rating: 5/5
