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A review by sharanyaaguha
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Before The Coffee Gets Old - one of the most unique books I've read in a while.
A small cafe in a basement of a building in Tokyo, with no windows with an unique reputation to being able to take people back to their past.
Kazu, Kei and Nagare the 3 people who work in the cafe, and 4 different stories about people travelling back to their past. The rules however are pretty complicated :
- The only people you can meet while in the past are those who have visited the cafe.
- There is nothing you can do while in the past that will change the present.
- And you must return before the coffee goes cold.
- When you return to the past, you must drink the entire cup before the coffee goes cold.
- A person who has sat on the chair to travel through time once cannot do it a second time. Each person receives only a single chance.
With this being said, the book follows 4 short stories about 4 people travelling back to their past -
1. The Lovers - Garo has to leave for America in order to pursue his dream job and thus has to breakup with Fumiko. Their last conversation happens in the same cafe. Fumiko has a lot she has to say to Garo before he leaves, but is unable to.
2. Husband and Wife - Fustagi is suffering from Alzheimer and is forgetting about her wife, Kohtake. He wants to go back in time to give her a letter but doesn't has the courage to.
3. The Sisters - Hirai and Kumi, 2 sisters. Hirai had left her home 15 years back in order to pursue her dream and has left Kumi in charge of their family inn. Kumi, every month travels to Tokyo to convince Hirai to go back with her. On one such occassion Kumi perishes in a car accident and Hirai travels back in order to meet her sister one last time.
4. Mother and Child - A story about Kei and her daughter Miki. Kei is pregnant with Miki. Having suffered from a heart condition all her life she knows giving birth to Miki will be the last thing that she'll ever do for her. So she attempts to visit the future, to see Miki before she dies.
The book is crisp. The stories are short but the buildup is long. The shortness of the meeting with their respective people completely justifies the point that they have to return before the coffee gets cold. In very few words, the author has been able to potray 4 different stories so beautifully. 'Husband and Wife' and 'Mother and Child' are two stories that'll break you. Giving it a 4 star because I feel this book had the potential to become something more.
A small cafe in a basement of a building in Tokyo, with no windows with an unique reputation to being able to take people back to their past.
Kazu, Kei and Nagare the 3 people who work in the cafe, and 4 different stories about people travelling back to their past. The rules however are pretty complicated :
- The only people you can meet while in the past are those who have visited the cafe.
- There is nothing you can do while in the past that will change the present.
- And you must return before the coffee goes cold.
- When you return to the past, you must drink the entire cup before the coffee goes cold.
- A person who has sat on the chair to travel through time once cannot do it a second time. Each person receives only a single chance.
With this being said, the book follows 4 short stories about 4 people travelling back to their past -
1. The Lovers - Garo has to leave for America in order to pursue his dream job and thus has to breakup with Fumiko. Their last conversation happens in the same cafe. Fumiko has a lot she has to say to Garo before he leaves, but is unable to.
2. Husband and Wife - Fustagi is suffering from Alzheimer and is forgetting about her wife, Kohtake. He wants to go back in time to give her a letter but doesn't has the courage to.
3. The Sisters - Hirai and Kumi, 2 sisters. Hirai had left her home 15 years back in order to pursue her dream and has left Kumi in charge of their family inn. Kumi, every month travels to Tokyo to convince Hirai to go back with her. On one such occassion Kumi perishes in a car accident and Hirai travels back in order to meet her sister one last time.
4. Mother and Child - A story about Kei and her daughter Miki. Kei is pregnant with Miki. Having suffered from a heart condition all her life she knows giving birth to Miki will be the last thing that she'll ever do for her. So she attempts to visit the future, to see Miki before she dies.
The book is crisp. The stories are short but the buildup is long. The shortness of the meeting with their respective people completely justifies the point that they have to return before the coffee gets cold. In very few words, the author has been able to potray 4 different stories so beautifully. 'Husband and Wife' and 'Mother and Child' are two stories that'll break you. Giving it a 4 star because I feel this book had the potential to become something more.