May We Meet Again When the Stats Grow Cold
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)
Publication date: 19th September 2019
Publisher: Picador (first published Dec 6th 2015)
Pages: 208
Summary:
In a small back alley in Tokyo, in that location is a café which has been serving carefully brewed java for more i hundred years. Merely this coffee shop offers its customers a unique feel: the chance to travel dorsum in fourth dimension.
In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café's time-travelling offer, in order to: face up the man who left them, receive a alphabetic character from their married man whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer'due south, to see their sis i last time, and to encounter the girl they never got the chance to know.
Only the journey into the by does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .
Toshikazu Kawaguchi'south beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you lot could travel back in time? More chiefly, who would y'all want to meet, perhaps for one concluding fourth dimension?
Source: Goodreads
Thoughts:
"Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi took my fancy as soon as I heard nigh it. Information technology's Japanese and it's about a java shop that offers its customers the unique, magical experience of beingness able to travel back in time – sounds perfect for me!
"The first rule – the simply people one may run into while dorsum in the past are those who have visited the cafe."
Travelling back in time at this basement cafe in Tokyo is not as easy it it may starting time seem and if y'all do want to take advantage of this experience, there are a lot of very strict rules that yous'll need to follow. With so many stringent restrictions, many customers can't exist bothered with the rigmarole only this volume tells the story of 4 people who, subsequently hearing all of the rules, still want to go dorsum, even for a moment.
"The second rule – no affair how difficult ane tries while back in the by, one cannot alter the present."
I really enjoyed this trivial book and it was then quirky and full of charm. As nosotros larn the stories of those looking to return to specific signal in the past, the story becomes somewhat poignant and certainly idea provoking – if y'all could go back to the by and non change anything at all, what time would y'all cull?
"The third dominion – in order to return to the by, you have to sit down in that seat and that seat alone."
"The fourth rule – while back in the past, you must stay in that seat and never move from information technology."
"The fifth rule – at that place is a time limit."
The recurring cafe employees' background stories are non greatly developed, just I don't think that this is a real problem and as this book is but 200-odd pages, the focus lies elsewhere.
The story is cleaved down into four distinct sections, each broadly titled with their human relationship label (Hubby and Wife, for example). All iv of these are distinctive and unique characters and each accept their own reasons for wanting to be in the buffet. From the four, I wasn't such a fan of The Lovers, only I don't think you'll observe anyone that likewise wasn't touched by the other iii, peculiarly Mother and Child.
While slightly unusual, this book is full of touching moments and with themes of grief, fearfulness, friendship and unconditional dearest, writer Kawaguchi pulls at your heartstrings in more than one way.
If you're a fan of Japanese literature or civilisation, I'd definitely give this a go.
"The final and most important dominion […] you must potable the entire cup before the coffee goes cold"
Overall rating: "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" is a charming, clever story near how, no matter what we may endeavour, in that location is nada nosotros tin do to alter the by and we can but learn and grow from our mistakes. I really enjoyed this heartwarming tale and it'southward 4 stars from me.
I was kindly sent a copy of this book by Gaby Quattromini at Picador – thank you very much!
Source: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.com/2019/09/19/before-the-coffee-gets-cold/
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