Before The Coffee Gets Cold

If you could go back, who would you go to see?

This book made me laugh, cry, giggle, and gasp. Although the writing is simple, the stories are deep and alluring and take you through the lives of four individuals who are looking to utilize the cafe’s special powers to revisit a regrettable moment in their lives.

The book starts in the middle of a breakup scene. A couple who have stumbled into the cafe on a hot summer’s day are saying their last words to each other before one of them leaves for America for work. The beginning of this novel was done so well—you’re instantly invested in the story of Fumiko, the woman left behind. As she navigates the emotions of her breakup, she decides to travel back in time to say to her ex-boyfriend what she wasn’t able to tell him during their split.

But before she can do so, Kazu, an employee of Funiculi Funicula, tells her about the rules. You can’t leave your seat, you can only see someone if they’ve also been to the cafe, nothing you do in the past will change the present, and you have to drink the coffee before it gets cold. Oh, and there’s only one seat in the cafe that can take you back, but a ghost occupies it constantly.

Kawaguchi blends these quirky details perfectly with insightful and touching examinations of human nature, love, emotions, and grief. Although the magical-realism and sci-fi nature of time travel grounds the story, readers will quickly forget about the strangeness of ghosts and nonsensical rules as they instantly form mental connections with all the characters.

Each individual looking to go back has a difficult back story—the reasons they are looking to rewind in the first place. Whether it’s missed opportunities or what-ifs, it’s hard not to shed a few tears as you dive into the psyche of their reasons. Although this novel can be classified as a series of short stories, Kawaguchi expertly links the stories and characters together so the story flows effortlessly from page one til the last page. The characters become deeply connected both through the cafe as well as their healing and growth and there isn’t a single person in the story that doesn’t need to be there.

An absolutely beautiful read. You’re bound to finish this sweet book in just one sitting.