A review by hretzkin
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I liked how creative the idea was, I think it was a unique time travel story. I enjoyed the first three stories and the idea of using time travel to change yourself in the present. Absolutely despised the last story though. It contradicted the message of the first story, or at least how I interpreted it. You can't change the past but you can change the future since it isn't fixed. The last story made it seem like the future is also fixed. 

There's definitely some weird gender stuff as all the people who go back are women. 

It is a translated book so some of the prose is a bit repetitive but I tried to focus on the themes of the book beyond the writing.
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