A review by sharkybookshelf
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

4.0

We return to the Funiculi Funicula coffee shop where customers can briefly time travel but must return before the coffee gets cold…

Look, at this point Kawaguchi is basically flogging a dead horse with the concept, and yet…I just can’t stop reading these.

I’ve struggled with the odd tone in all three of the previous books in the series (even the first, which I loved), but did not find myself particularly annoyed this time - either the tone has changed for the better or I am now used to it. I did, however, find the POV shifts a little jarring - I don’t remember them in the previous books. All that is to say, this is not a book to read for the writing.

It’s the idea of the book that draws me in - why do these characters choose to go back in time so briefly, knowing that it cannot change any outcomes. The four stories all relate to death, and the way the characters navigate their regrets and the finality of death fascinates me. It’s not really about whether I agree with the characters and their reasoning, but thinking how I might respond in such a situation.

An improved outing in the series, touching on grief, regrets and different forms of love.