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コーヒーが冷めないうちに #1
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What would you change if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
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: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past 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’s beautiful, moving story – translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot – explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
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: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past 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’s beautiful, moving story – translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot – explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
222 pages, Unknown Binding
First published December 6, 2015
69021 people are currently reading
731804 people want to read
About the author
Toshikazu Kawaguchi
11 books6,864 followersToshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94,611 reviews
February 24, 2020
This book reminds me of an old Italian car, perhaps an Alfa Romeo, or a 1970s Ferrari.
On the surface it looks great, but when you start it up... oh dear. At best the poor thing limps along well under the speed limit, an ominous cacophony of clunking sounds and grinding noises issuing from under the hood.
I was expecting much more as this is a book that has a lot of fans.
I can see why - the central concept is a nice one, and the stories are cute, in a way that is quite charmingly Japanese. In an old cafe, unchanged for decades, you can order a cup of coffee that will take you into the past. There is a catch, however. You can't leave the cafe while you are time travelling, and you can only stay in the past for as long as it takes for your coffee to go cold.
Nice concept yeah? I think so too. But beyond this surface charm, well, things aren’t so slick.
Mechanically, from a storytelling and writing point of view, Before the Coffee Gets Cold needs a complete overhaul.
It could be the translation, but this is a very clunky book. I managed fifty-odd pages before the repetition of previously revealed information, forced dialogue and ham-fisted exposition caused the narrative engine to seize up on me. I tried to coax myself along, taking a break from the novel for a day, before coming back and easing it into gear again, but within a few pages I was back where I had been when I first gave up - bemusedly standing next to a smoking clunker of a book, wondering how so many people could love it.
Apparently, this book was written as a play first, which could explain why so much of it feels so over-explained and bluntly delivered. Much of what I found annoying could fill a role as stage directions in a performance piece, but it really jars in a novel. The fact that there time travellers must abide by a number of rules gets mentioned maybe ten times in the first section of the book, and the rules themselves get repeated so often that they become mantra-like.
This could work in a performance where the audience doesn’t have the script in front of them, but in a novel it feels as though the author is assuming their readers are morons who can’t recall the events of a few sentences prior.
Of course, I didn't actually finish this book - the narrative motor was never going to get me to the end - so perhaps things improve in the later stories. I doubt it though, and there was no way I was going to make it past page fifty.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold gets a lot of love here on Goodreads (so I kind of feel like I’m publicly kicking someone’s puppy) but it really wasn’t what I hoped for. In all honesty by the time the pot of tea I made when I sat down with this book had gone cold I had already decided to abandon it and start reading something else.
1.5 repetitious rules (did I mention there are rules? There are rules. Important rules. Shall we go over them again? THEY ARE IMPORTANT, DON’T FORGET THEM etc. etc.) out of five.
On the surface it looks great, but when you start it up... oh dear. At best the poor thing limps along well under the speed limit, an ominous cacophony of clunking sounds and grinding noises issuing from under the hood.
I was expecting much more as this is a book that has a lot of fans.
I can see why - the central concept is a nice one, and the stories are cute, in a way that is quite charmingly Japanese. In an old cafe, unchanged for decades, you can order a cup of coffee that will take you into the past. There is a catch, however. You can't leave the cafe while you are time travelling, and you can only stay in the past for as long as it takes for your coffee to go cold.
Nice concept yeah? I think so too. But beyond this surface charm, well, things aren’t so slick.
Mechanically, from a storytelling and writing point of view, Before the Coffee Gets Cold needs a complete overhaul.
It could be the translation, but this is a very clunky book. I managed fifty-odd pages before the repetition of previously revealed information, forced dialogue and ham-fisted exposition caused the narrative engine to seize up on me. I tried to coax myself along, taking a break from the novel for a day, before coming back and easing it into gear again, but within a few pages I was back where I had been when I first gave up - bemusedly standing next to a smoking clunker of a book, wondering how so many people could love it.
Apparently, this book was written as a play first, which could explain why so much of it feels so over-explained and bluntly delivered. Much of what I found annoying could fill a role as stage directions in a performance piece, but it really jars in a novel. The fact that there time travellers must abide by a number of rules gets mentioned maybe ten times in the first section of the book, and the rules themselves get repeated so often that they become mantra-like.
This could work in a performance where the audience doesn’t have the script in front of them, but in a novel it feels as though the author is assuming their readers are morons who can’t recall the events of a few sentences prior.
Of course, I didn't actually finish this book - the narrative motor was never going to get me to the end - so perhaps things improve in the later stories. I doubt it though, and there was no way I was going to make it past page fifty.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold gets a lot of love here on Goodreads (so I kind of feel like I’m publicly kicking someone’s puppy) but it really wasn’t what I hoped for. In all honesty by the time the pot of tea I made when I sat down with this book had gone cold I had already decided to abandon it and start reading something else.
1.5 repetitious rules (did I mention there are rules? There are rules. Important rules. Shall we go over them again? THEY ARE IMPORTANT, DON’T FORGET THEM etc. etc.) out of five.
May 24, 2021
Despite a tantalizing premise the execution of time travel with ever added on new rules is sloppy. And the underlying morale of the four stories is basically highly conservative in my opinion.
The underlying messaging that grated on me
To kick off in respect to my last sentence I mean the following:
Would make a fine Netflix series, but as a book did not work for me
Not to be mistaken, the concept is nice, but the execution sloppy. Also after the first story the newness of the premise starts to wear off (despite some arbitrary rule changes all of the sudden) and things like the weirdly specific descriptions of people, focussed solely on the colour of their clothes, started to catch my eye.
An example:
A woman entered the cafe alone. She was wearing a beige cardigan over a pale aqua shirt-dress and crimson trainers, and a white canvas bag.
More annoyingly, Toshikazu Kawaguchi explains everything the characters feel, making the stories overly simple and sentimental. Somewhere the following passes someone’s mind: But none of those feelings could be formed into words.
But there are literally two paragraphs before that exactly describe how the character feels and what's she feels and why she feels that way.
In the end I feel would work fine as a TV series (with hopefully a more progressive messaging at its core) but failed as a book.
The underlying messaging that grated on me
To kick off in respect to my last sentence I mean the following:
Would make a fine Netflix series, but as a book did not work for me
Not to be mistaken, the concept is nice, but the execution sloppy. Also after the first story the newness of the premise starts to wear off (despite some arbitrary rule changes all of the sudden) and things like the weirdly specific descriptions of people, focussed solely on the colour of their clothes, started to catch my eye.
An example:
A woman entered the cafe alone. She was wearing a beige cardigan over a pale aqua shirt-dress and crimson trainers, and a white canvas bag.
More annoyingly, Toshikazu Kawaguchi explains everything the characters feel, making the stories overly simple and sentimental. Somewhere the following passes someone’s mind: But none of those feelings could be formed into words.
But there are literally two paragraphs before that exactly describe how the character feels and what's she feels and why she feels that way.
In the end I feel would work fine as a TV series (with hopefully a more progressive messaging at its core) but failed as a book.
February 3, 2023
Summary
This is a beautifully written novel happening inside a retro cafe where time travel is possible. It has four different stories interwoven together with characters who have their individual existence yet perfectly complement each other.
What I learned from this book
1) The effect of Alzheimer’s disease in marital and family life
In Alzheimer’s disease, the subtle and sporadic deterioration of patients brain function will be a very arduous phase in their partners, and their family members life, and it is one of the rare situations in Medical Science where the spouse and family members suffer more than the patient (The author depicted it perfectly through the characters Fusagi and Kohtake.)
2) Hope for a better future is the secret behind our current happy existence
When Kei said she wanted to go to the future to see whether she would have her child due to all the pregnancy-related complications she was having at that time, her husband Nagare argued strongly against her decision as he thought that if she went into the future and discovered that the child didn’t exist, the hope which is the inner strength that had been sustaining his wife until then would be destroyed. The author shows us that hope is one of the most important things in our life via these two characters.
3) How we should behave if someone close to us passes away
The author beautifully told us how to face the death of our loved ones in this book by convincing us to stay happy and always keep on smiling so that the person who died can see us happy from the dark box (The author compares death to a dark box in this novel) to make him/her also happy.
My favourite three lines from this book or related to this book
“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change.”
“Negativity is food for malady, one might say.”
“Coffee on a sail boat tastes like sunrise ”
Verdict
4/5This is a book written in simple language that makes you fall in love with it from the first page itself due to its veracity and edifies us to relish the beauty of our life through love and hope.
This is a beautifully written novel happening inside a retro cafe where time travel is possible. It has four different stories interwoven together with characters who have their individual existence yet perfectly complement each other.
What I learned from this book
1) The effect of Alzheimer’s disease in marital and family life
In Alzheimer’s disease, the subtle and sporadic deterioration of patients brain function will be a very arduous phase in their partners, and their family members life, and it is one of the rare situations in Medical Science where the spouse and family members suffer more than the patient (The author depicted it perfectly through the characters Fusagi and Kohtake.)
2) Hope for a better future is the secret behind our current happy existence
When Kei said she wanted to go to the future to see whether she would have her child due to all the pregnancy-related complications she was having at that time, her husband Nagare argued strongly against her decision as he thought that if she went into the future and discovered that the child didn’t exist, the hope which is the inner strength that had been sustaining his wife until then would be destroyed. The author shows us that hope is one of the most important things in our life via these two characters.
3) How we should behave if someone close to us passes away
The author beautifully told us how to face the death of our loved ones in this book by convincing us to stay happy and always keep on smiling so that the person who died can see us happy from the dark box (The author compares death to a dark box in this novel) to make him/her also happy.
My favourite three lines from this book or related to this book
“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change.”
“Negativity is food for malady, one might say.”
“Coffee on a sail boat tastes like sunrise ”
Verdict
4/5This is a book written in simple language that makes you fall in love with it from the first page itself due to its veracity and edifies us to relish the beauty of our life through love and hope.
October 8, 2022
booktok saying this book isn't sad but sobbing at the end still. yea i'd cry too if i had to read a 200-page book about women losing "everything"
"everything" as in each woman Kawaguchi wrote only has one purpose in their life. should've done my research and seen that this book was written by a man.
first story: a smart, career woman crying over a man who chose his career over her. be fucking fr
second story: a woman devoting her life to care for her husband who has dementia. i don't have a problem with this one by itself, but after reading the other stories, there is a theme here.
third story: a woman losing her freedom to run her family's inn after her little sister passed. guilt-tripped by her friend saying "that's what your sister would've wanted." no, your sister could not respect that your dreams were different than hers
the last story: she chooses to give birth knowing she will die doing so? hello? fuck off.
the meaning of the stories aside, the writing was not for me either. i don't know where to pinpoint what was wrong with it, but i could not find myself immersed in any of the stories. it would take over 20+ pages to get to the exciting parts and it would be over in a page or two. the characters felt very two-dimensional and i found myself bored most of the time.
"everything" as in each woman Kawaguchi wrote only has one purpose in their life. should've done my research and seen that this book was written by a man.
first story: a smart, career woman crying over a man who chose his career over her. be fucking fr
second story: a woman devoting her life to care for her husband who has dementia. i don't have a problem with this one by itself, but after reading the other stories, there is a theme here.
third story: a woman losing her freedom to run her family's inn after her little sister passed. guilt-tripped by her friend saying "that's what your sister would've wanted." no, your sister could not respect that your dreams were different than hers
the last story: she chooses to give birth knowing she will die doing so? hello? fuck off.
the meaning of the stories aside, the writing was not for me either. i don't know where to pinpoint what was wrong with it, but i could not find myself immersed in any of the stories. it would take over 20+ pages to get to the exciting parts and it would be over in a page or two. the characters felt very two-dimensional and i found myself bored most of the time.
November 16, 2023
This was pretty lovely.
At times, it was very lovely. My very favorite things are lovely things, and simple, wonderful magical realism is my favorite hard-to-find-done-well genre, and for a while it seemed like this could qualify as being both of those things.
But then...a severe damper arrives. My parade is rained on. Stormy weather comin' in. Insert other precipitation metaphors.
Unfortunately, I have to tuck away the thing that threatened to ruin it all in little ol' spoiler tags:
It’s just not my cup of tea.
Or should I say coffee???
(Buh dum ch.)
Bottom line: This was almost very good, and then it wasn't, for me. But it was still good.
-------
currently-reading updates
don't mind me, just adding more and more books to my currently reading because all of my library loans are coming in at once and making me into a juggler except with books.
so an even dorkier juggler.
At times, it was very lovely. My very favorite things are lovely things, and simple, wonderful magical realism is my favorite hard-to-find-done-well genre, and for a while it seemed like this could qualify as being both of those things.
But then...a severe damper arrives. My parade is rained on. Stormy weather comin' in. Insert other precipitation metaphors.
Unfortunately, I have to tuck away the thing that threatened to ruin it all in little ol' spoiler tags:
It’s just not my cup of tea.
Or should I say coffee???
(Buh dum ch.)
Bottom line: This was almost very good, and then it wasn't, for me. But it was still good.
-------
currently-reading updates
don't mind me, just adding more and more books to my currently reading because all of my library loans are coming in at once and making me into a juggler except with books.
so an even dorkier juggler.
July 12, 2019
Despite the appealing subject, the writing ruined the reading for me. It is written more as a theater play than anything else, with the right setup and characters. Everything is explained and the whole story takes place in the coffee shop.
The blurb is very accurate, so I won’t get into details. However, nothing in it to keep my interest. The characters are like puppets, their dialogues disjointed, the actions artificial.
The time travel part is more of a disguise here, I wouldn’t classify it in this sub-genre; it’s more of a magical realism story about regrets and things not said or done until too late and the possibility to change that; well, sort of.
Not my cup of coffee at all.
>>> ARC received thanks to Pan Macmillan/Picador via NetGalley <<<
The blurb is very accurate, so I won’t get into details. However, nothing in it to keep my interest. The characters are like puppets, their dialogues disjointed, the actions artificial.
The time travel part is more of a disguise here, I wouldn’t classify it in this sub-genre; it’s more of a magical realism story about regrets and things not said or done until too late and the possibility to change that; well, sort of.
Not my cup of coffee at all.
>>> ARC received thanks to Pan Macmillan/Picador via NetGalley <<<
November 4, 2025
People that can go back in time in a coffee shop? Sign me in!
There are some strict rules but the character driven stories were interesting.
I'm not too sure what to rate this book so it might change but... 3.5?
There are some strict rules but the character driven stories were interesting.
I'm not too sure what to rate this book so it might change but... 3.5?
November 8, 2019
5/5stars
No question this is as good as everyone keeps saying. Absolutely beautifully simply written, incredibly unique especially on such an over used idea like time travel, absolutely tragic but also incredibly happy and dealing with some tough subjects almost everyone can empathize with, honestly one of the few books I can call INSPIRING.
Absolutely loved this wow
No question this is as good as everyone keeps saying. Absolutely beautifully simply written, incredibly unique especially on such an over used idea like time travel, absolutely tragic but also incredibly happy and dealing with some tough subjects almost everyone can empathize with, honestly one of the few books I can call INSPIRING.
Absolutely loved this wow
September 13, 2022
this was a beautiful and deep story…now why do i feel this 20 pound weight on my chest of damaging and immobilizing sadness?!?
July 13, 2024
if "right where you left me" was a happy song
December 27, 2025
The writing and the characters are really annoying.
Because it is the umpteenth time I picked it up and yet, it's time to accept the fact that this book is just not for me.
I just couldn't be patient with what the story was coming to with all that repetitive lines and the writing in the first half. The characters seem rather dull. I did try to finish up the book but I started having a headache because I was doing something I didn't want to and had to close the book and delete it after taking the picture.
Yes, I love Japanese books. I love weird stories. I like emotional, sad stories. This one is all these things but it just didn't work for me.
I really wanted to like this one but it's fine.
Just like what happened with A Man Called Ove (my heart's still broken!), this one has a similar history in my reading life.
I wish it was a short story instead. A short book which seemed too long amd repetitive for me (like how it happened with Autumn by Ali Smith).
Sad story indeed.
Because it is the umpteenth time I picked it up and yet, it's time to accept the fact that this book is just not for me.
I just couldn't be patient with what the story was coming to with all that repetitive lines and the writing in the first half. The characters seem rather dull. I did try to finish up the book but I started having a headache because I was doing something I didn't want to and had to close the book and delete it after taking the picture.
Yes, I love Japanese books. I love weird stories. I like emotional, sad stories. This one is all these things but it just didn't work for me.
I really wanted to like this one but it's fine.
Just like what happened with A Man Called Ove (my heart's still broken!), this one has a similar history in my reading life.
I wish it was a short story instead. A short book which seemed too long amd repetitive for me (like how it happened with Autumn by Ali Smith).
Sad story indeed.
March 5, 2025
1st time reading: 5 stars
2nd time reading: 2 stars
2nd time reading: 2 stars
March 8, 2022
honestly not my fav
i think it’s overhyped for me, i just couldn’t connect with it. there was a lot of repetition of descriptions and the rules and i’m not sure if that was meant to mean something but if it did, i didn’t get it. i thought the characters were quite flat but i liked each of their stories. overall, i think it was quite dull…
i think it’s overhyped for me, i just couldn’t connect with it. there was a lot of repetition of descriptions and the rules and i’m not sure if that was meant to mean something but if it did, i didn’t get it. i thought the characters were quite flat but i liked each of their stories. overall, i think it was quite dull…
May 30, 2022
this is the book equivalent of a truck hitting you out of nowhere; the first three stories were pretty nice, emotional and touching and then BOOM the fourth story comes and suddenly you can't stop violently sobbing & crying
February 1, 2022
after an hour of non-stop sobbing on my instagram story, i feel i am finally in the right headspace to cry on goodreads instead
i don’t think this book is necessarily sad, the way it approaches topics like loss is so gentle, so quiet, and so unassuming that it almost feels warm in an odd little way - i felt safe within the pages of a book that appears entirely simple. it’ll be a long time before i stop thinking about what i read, i think; a long time indeed
despite the characters in this story being given a “second chance” to approach situations/people, the overwhelming feeling of knowing nothing can be done just hurts so badly, and i don’t want to delve any deeper into that, considering it would spoil way too much, but it sits in my chest, and it feels SO heavy. it felt so real, and being faced with reality sometimes feels a little too overwhelming, but as i mentioned before, the manner in which the author approaches this is so soft and so gentle. i felt safe
it’s rare that a book less than 200 pages can make me feel this way, make me feel so whole and complete and yet this silly little book has managed to do exactly that. we explore the lives of so many people, so many different perspectives (sometimes within the same circumstance) that it was just incredible. so beautifully written.
this book felt like a very hot cup of coffee, that ironically, never got cold
i don’t think this book is necessarily sad, the way it approaches topics like loss is so gentle, so quiet, and so unassuming that it almost feels warm in an odd little way - i felt safe within the pages of a book that appears entirely simple. it’ll be a long time before i stop thinking about what i read, i think; a long time indeed
despite the characters in this story being given a “second chance” to approach situations/people, the overwhelming feeling of knowing nothing can be done just hurts so badly, and i don’t want to delve any deeper into that, considering it would spoil way too much, but it sits in my chest, and it feels SO heavy. it felt so real, and being faced with reality sometimes feels a little too overwhelming, but as i mentioned before, the manner in which the author approaches this is so soft and so gentle. i felt safe
it’s rare that a book less than 200 pages can make me feel this way, make me feel so whole and complete and yet this silly little book has managed to do exactly that. we explore the lives of so many people, so many different perspectives (sometimes within the same circumstance) that it was just incredible. so beautifully written.
this book felt like a very hot cup of coffee, that ironically, never got cold
July 7, 2020
A slow-moving, but beautifully paced novel about time-travel and questioning the idea that if you were given an opportunity to visit the past, would you? Even though there is nothing that you can change? Even if there are strict measurements set in place making it seem almost pointless to even take part in the activity?
This story left me slightly overwhelmed. This was such a character-driven story with so much heart and puts you in the shoes of those characters and you become connected to their pain and suffering as the story evolves.
It's captivating and memorable and I desperately need more stories like this.
This story left me slightly overwhelmed. This was such a character-driven story with so much heart and puts you in the shoes of those characters and you become connected to their pain and suffering as the story evolves.
It's captivating and memorable and I desperately need more stories like this.
April 20, 2020
Who wouldn’t want to time travel? Well, you probably wouldn’t if you had to follow these very precise, arbitrary and convoluted rules - yes, even more so than the usual! So the characters in this story can time travel but only to the relatively recent past and they have to sit in a specific seat at a specific table - which they can’t leave once they time travel, which means they can’t leave the cafe - and only for the duration it takes for a coffee to cool, after which you have to drink it down or else risk turning into a ghost forever burdened to haunt the cafe. Also nothing you do in the past can alter the present/future. Yay, so much whimsical fun…
I loathed Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It is amongst the sappiest drivel I’ve ever had the displeasure to read. It’s basically four short stories that happen to share the same setting and plot device. A businesswoman wants a second chance to tell her boyfriend that she loves him; a wife wants to talk to her husband about a letter he wrote pre-Alzheimer’s; a woman wants to see her kid sister again before a car accident takes her life; and, in a shocking turn of events, a woman wants to meet her unborn child in the future, which is apparently possible because why not, this is all contrived garbage anyway.
It is so, so sickeningly sentimental, it’s almost unbearable. Every storyline is designed to hit you in the “feels” except Kawaguchi’s prose is so weak and inept, and his characters so shallow and unemotional, that each fails one after the other. Look, I have a heart ok - it’s in a jar in a wardrobe somewhere - but even if I was wearing it I’d still find the storylines about as moving as a rock with half the emotion.
The characters - Kei, Kazu, Nagare - all seemed like the same person and were basically interchangeable because their personalities were that indistinct and irrelevant. The Alzheimer’s storyline felt especially pointless - the wife wants to talk to her husband about the letter he wrote, that was handed to her in the present, that she refused to read, but she wants him to tell her about it in the past? Just read it in the present! And the future storyline - what, she just “knows” that she’s going to die in childbirth? Gimme a break.
Unless you want to read the equivalent of a novel-length Hallmark greeting card, spare yourself the tedium and don’t bother with Before the Coffee Gets Cold. If you want emotion, slam your finger in a door - you’ll feel more and it’s quicker than reading this rubbish.
I loathed Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It is amongst the sappiest drivel I’ve ever had the displeasure to read. It’s basically four short stories that happen to share the same setting and plot device. A businesswoman wants a second chance to tell her boyfriend that she loves him; a wife wants to talk to her husband about a letter he wrote pre-Alzheimer’s; a woman wants to see her kid sister again before a car accident takes her life; and, in a shocking turn of events, a woman wants to meet her unborn child in the future, which is apparently possible because why not, this is all contrived garbage anyway.
It is so, so sickeningly sentimental, it’s almost unbearable. Every storyline is designed to hit you in the “feels” except Kawaguchi’s prose is so weak and inept, and his characters so shallow and unemotional, that each fails one after the other. Look, I have a heart ok - it’s in a jar in a wardrobe somewhere - but even if I was wearing it I’d still find the storylines about as moving as a rock with half the emotion.
The characters - Kei, Kazu, Nagare - all seemed like the same person and were basically interchangeable because their personalities were that indistinct and irrelevant. The Alzheimer’s storyline felt especially pointless - the wife wants to talk to her husband about the letter he wrote, that was handed to her in the present, that she refused to read, but she wants him to tell her about it in the past? Just read it in the present! And the future storyline - what, she just “knows” that she’s going to die in childbirth? Gimme a break.
Unless you want to read the equivalent of a novel-length Hallmark greeting card, spare yourself the tedium and don’t bother with Before the Coffee Gets Cold. If you want emotion, slam your finger in a door - you’ll feel more and it’s quicker than reading this rubbish.
April 11, 2020
❥ 4.5 / 5 stars
Damn. If you read this book and you don’t cry, you’re freaking heartless.
Damn. If you read this book and you don’t cry, you’re freaking heartless.
April 20, 2023
I wanted something light to read. This was so light it blew away. Seriously poor. 200 pages of my life I will never get back. Nothing more to add.
April 12, 2024
أحياناً تمر بنا أوقات نتمني فيها لو عاد بنا الزمن لنودّع شخصاً أو لنصالح أحداً أو لنصارح حبيباً ، لتُخرج ما في قلبك من مشاعر ، لتعبِّر عن حبك بلا قيود ، نتمني العودة لأنه قد فات الأوان ، نتمني العودة لكي لا يصير ما حدث طيّ النسيان ، لكي نتيقن أننا قمنا بكل ما علينا لنوئد الندم و العتاب و ربما ، ربما يتغير مستقبل لم تُنسج خيوطه بعد.
هل للكلمة كل هذه القيمة التي قد تدفع عمرَك ثمناً لكي تقولها أو لكي تمنعها ؟
مقهي "فينكولي" يُشاع حوله أنك تستطيع العودة للماضي بداخله ، يالها من معجزة !
قد سعي الإنسان من قرون و حلمَ بآلة زمن أو بوسيلة للعودة للماضي ..
لينكبّ الناس علي هذا المقهي من كل مكان.
و لكن هذا المقهي يقيّدك بقواعد فليست الحياة كما نشتهي عادةً بل ليست كما نشتهي أبداً
، فكانت هذه القواعد كفيلة لتخييب كل الناس المستعدين لدفع عمرهم مقابل العودة لماضيهم من هذه القواعد :
- كرسي واحد فقط هو ما يسمح لك بالسفر عبر الزمن بعد الجلوس عليه.
- أنك لا تستطيع تغيير الحاضر مهما فعلت ، فالحاضر قد نُسجت خيوطه و جفّت أقلامه بالفعل.
- هناك حد زمني للمدة التي تقضيها و هي قبل أن تبرد القهوة و إذا تعديتها هناك عواقب.
- من تريد مقابلته لا بد له أن كان نزيلاً بهذا المقهي من قبل.
نعيش في الرواية قصصاً متفرقة و الشخصيات الثابتة الوحيدة هم مسؤولو المقهي ، الرواية منظمة بأسلوبٍ خلَّاب يأخذك لعالم ملئ بالخيبة و بالندم و البكاء و لكنه ملئ كذلك بالأمل و بالحب الحقيقي فما من أحد سيرجع للماضي ليغير كلمة أو يُقدِم علي فعل إلا و قد آمن بالحب و تخلل الإيمان بالتغيير جوارحَه.
- عشيقان
- الزوج و الزوجة
- أختان
- أم و طفل .
هؤلاء أبطال روايتنا ، هؤلاء من أرادوا العودة ��تصريح بالحب ، لاستلام رسالة ، للاعتذار ، للقاءٍ طال انتظاره.
قد لا يتغير الحاضر و لكن بالتأكيد ستتغير الأشخاص.
" و إذا أمكن للكرسي تغيير مفاهيم شخص ما ، فمن الواضح أنّ له هدفاً سامياً."
الرواية لها فيلم كذلك ✨.
شكرا لأصدقاء الجودريدز علي مراجعاتهم الرائعة المشجعة للرواية الجميلة دي 🤩
و شكرا لإسراء علي تشجيعها و القراءة المشتركة .
هل للكلمة كل هذه القيمة التي قد تدفع عمرَك ثمناً لكي تقولها أو لكي تمنعها ؟
مقهي "فينكولي" يُشاع حوله أنك تستطيع العودة للماضي بداخله ، يالها من معجزة !
قد سعي الإنسان من قرون و حلمَ بآلة زمن أو بوسيلة للعودة للماضي ..
لينكبّ الناس علي هذا المقهي من كل مكان.
و لكن هذا المقهي يقيّدك بقواعد فليست الحياة كما نشتهي عادةً بل ليست كما نشتهي أبداً
، فكانت هذه القواعد كفيلة لتخييب كل الناس المستعدين لدفع عمرهم مقابل العودة لماضيهم من هذه القواعد :
- كرسي واحد فقط هو ما يسمح لك بالسفر عبر الزمن بعد الجلوس عليه.
- أنك لا تستطيع تغيير الحاضر مهما فعلت ، فالحاضر قد نُسجت خيوطه و جفّت أقلامه بالفعل.
- هناك حد زمني للمدة التي تقضيها و هي قبل أن تبرد القهوة و إذا تعديتها هناك عواقب.
- من تريد مقابلته لا بد له أن كان نزيلاً بهذا المقهي من قبل.
نعيش في الرواية قصصاً متفرقة و الشخصيات الثابتة الوحيدة هم مسؤولو المقهي ، الرواية منظمة بأسلوبٍ خلَّاب يأخذك لعالم ملئ بالخيبة و بالندم و البكاء و لكنه ملئ كذلك بالأمل و بالحب الحقيقي فما من أحد سيرجع للماضي ليغير كلمة أو يُقدِم علي فعل إلا و قد آمن بالحب و تخلل الإيمان بالتغيير جوارحَه.
- عشيقان
- الزوج و الزوجة
- أختان
- أم و طفل .
هؤلاء أبطال روايتنا ، هؤلاء من أرادوا العودة ��تصريح بالحب ، لاستلام رسالة ، للاعتذار ، للقاءٍ طال انتظاره.
قد لا يتغير الحاضر و لكن بالتأكيد ستتغير الأشخاص.
" و إذا أمكن للكرسي تغيير مفاهيم شخص ما ، فمن الواضح أنّ له هدفاً سامياً."
الرواية لها فيلم كذلك ✨.
شكرا لأصدقاء الجودريدز علي مراجعاتهم الرائعة المشجعة للرواية الجميلة دي 🤩
و شكرا لإسراء علي تشجيعها و القراءة المشتركة .
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 7, 2025
‘I was so absorbed in the things that I couldn’t change, I forgot the most important thing.’
If you could return to the past, but knew you couldn’t change anything, what would you go for? Before The Coffee Gets Cold, the debut novel by Japanese playwright Toshikazu Kawaguchi and translated into English by Geoffrey Trousselot, is a warm and quirky time-travel story all confined into the singular space of a small Tokyo coffee shop. Originally a play, which may have been a better medium as the book occasionally feels like a film novelisation with pacing issues, the story stands on the strength of it’s small cast of characters as they support and empathize with one another and, in turn, win over our empathy. The time travel is complete with its own mythology and a ghost, none of which make all that much sense but it works in order to examine the emotional obstacles that exist between people (if quirky and heartwarming time travel is your thing, though, just watch About Time because it's amazing). It is a unique take on the genre that seems certain of itself as a heartwarming tear-jerker and is successful at being moving although some of the stories are a bit eyebrow-raising (the final story is a theme I dislike). A bit rough around the edges, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a rather cute and moving idea with plenty of emotional scenes that will certainly charm many despite the execution not quite living up to the premise.
' The truth just wants to come flowing out. This is especially the case when you are trying to hide your sadness or vulnerability.'
The hook for this book is certainly the time travel aspect, the mechanics of which falls apart under careful scrutiny, sure, but this isn’t hard scifi and ultimately it serves as an engaging and charming plot vessel to look at interpersonal relationships. There is a strict set of rules that grow with each stories which makes for some absurd fun as the characters are often bewildered by how restrictive they are to the point of almost rendering the time traveling useless. The biggest one being that ‘at the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change.’ Add on to this that you can only be back in time until your coffee gets cold or face horrible consequences, and the spacial limitations for traveling seem like a marketing trick to force someone to be a regular at the shop in order for the time traveling to even conceivably be useful.
All of these limitations make sense for a stage production with only one set, and, ultimately, that medium feels better fit for this story. At times it feels like over-direction as well, as if this book is giving notes for what is probably an inevitable film adaptation, with awkward overemphasis on the outfits and colors each character wears. Having it as a novel does give more insight into the characters and provide backstory and context, but so much was already done well with the dialogue it feels almost unnecessary. It might have been more effective had it not made the pacing so jumpy, with flashbacks constantly interrupting the scenes and drawing the tension out in a way that feels like the elimination round scenes in a reality show where you just want to get to the point.
What transpires is frequently moving, with much of the emotional weight pinned on long held secrets or insecurities finally being revealed. The second story is particularly effective and deals with alzheimers, though at this point it seems the novel puts a lot of emphasis on women sacrificing themselves and being expected to give endless emotional labor as a heroic act. Which, particularly in the final section becomes rather annoying. The final story involves sacrificing one’s health for a pregnancy and like, maybe men should cool off the “women dying in childbirth for emotional effect” trope because it’s not awesome, though another story involves a woman giving up her life and business to return to a family business she dislikes. It just feels a bit not great, but he does mine these scenarios for some particularly tearful scenes.
Before the Coffee Goes Cold has a lot of mechanical and thematic issues that didn’t work for me, but overall it succeeds as being a cozy and emotionally taxing read. I suspect a lot of people will be really moved by it and I’m sure will find it very heartwarming. Reading this does make me want to see the play and I quite enjoyed all the time travel aspects, particularly the ghost element that was playful and really worked to add texture to the story. A fun read, though not one I’m particularly fond of, but effectively shows the message that ‘it takes courage to say what has to be said.’
2.5/5
If you could return to the past, but knew you couldn’t change anything, what would you go for? Before The Coffee Gets Cold, the debut novel by Japanese playwright Toshikazu Kawaguchi and translated into English by Geoffrey Trousselot, is a warm and quirky time-travel story all confined into the singular space of a small Tokyo coffee shop. Originally a play, which may have been a better medium as the book occasionally feels like a film novelisation with pacing issues, the story stands on the strength of it’s small cast of characters as they support and empathize with one another and, in turn, win over our empathy. The time travel is complete with its own mythology and a ghost, none of which make all that much sense but it works in order to examine the emotional obstacles that exist between people (if quirky and heartwarming time travel is your thing, though, just watch About Time because it's amazing). It is a unique take on the genre that seems certain of itself as a heartwarming tear-jerker and is successful at being moving although some of the stories are a bit eyebrow-raising (the final story is a theme I dislike). A bit rough around the edges, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a rather cute and moving idea with plenty of emotional scenes that will certainly charm many despite the execution not quite living up to the premise.
' The truth just wants to come flowing out. This is especially the case when you are trying to hide your sadness or vulnerability.'
The hook for this book is certainly the time travel aspect, the mechanics of which falls apart under careful scrutiny, sure, but this isn’t hard scifi and ultimately it serves as an engaging and charming plot vessel to look at interpersonal relationships. There is a strict set of rules that grow with each stories which makes for some absurd fun as the characters are often bewildered by how restrictive they are to the point of almost rendering the time traveling useless. The biggest one being that ‘at the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change.’ Add on to this that you can only be back in time until your coffee gets cold or face horrible consequences, and the spacial limitations for traveling seem like a marketing trick to force someone to be a regular at the shop in order for the time traveling to even conceivably be useful.
All of these limitations make sense for a stage production with only one set, and, ultimately, that medium feels better fit for this story. At times it feels like over-direction as well, as if this book is giving notes for what is probably an inevitable film adaptation, with awkward overemphasis on the outfits and colors each character wears. Having it as a novel does give more insight into the characters and provide backstory and context, but so much was already done well with the dialogue it feels almost unnecessary. It might have been more effective had it not made the pacing so jumpy, with flashbacks constantly interrupting the scenes and drawing the tension out in a way that feels like the elimination round scenes in a reality show where you just want to get to the point.
What transpires is frequently moving, with much of the emotional weight pinned on long held secrets or insecurities finally being revealed. The second story is particularly effective and deals with alzheimers, though at this point it seems the novel puts a lot of emphasis on women sacrificing themselves and being expected to give endless emotional labor as a heroic act. Which, particularly in the final section becomes rather annoying. The final story involves sacrificing one’s health for a pregnancy and like, maybe men should cool off the “women dying in childbirth for emotional effect” trope because it’s not awesome, though another story involves a woman giving up her life and business to return to a family business she dislikes. It just feels a bit not great, but he does mine these scenarios for some particularly tearful scenes.
Before the Coffee Goes Cold has a lot of mechanical and thematic issues that didn’t work for me, but overall it succeeds as being a cozy and emotionally taxing read. I suspect a lot of people will be really moved by it and I’m sure will find it very heartwarming. Reading this does make me want to see the play and I quite enjoyed all the time travel aspects, particularly the ghost element that was playful and really worked to add texture to the story. A fun read, though not one I’m particularly fond of, but effectively shows the message that ‘it takes courage to say what has to be said.’
2.5/5
August 14, 2023
A man's fantasy of an ideal woman, not so subtly concealed in the guise of time travel fantasy.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧
✨Welcome to Funicula Funiculi✨
What will you like? Coffee, mixed parfait, curry rice, toa-
~ 5 months in the past.
5 month- What?
~Send me to the past. I know you can!
Well you see despite going to the past, you can't change the present.
~Umm.. I can't😣
Doesn't matter. Past. Now.
Ahh. Here are the rules.
1. You can't change the present.
2. You have to sit in a particular chair, always occupied by a ghost to time travel.
3. You can't leave the said chair.
4. You can only meet the people who have been to the cafe at the specific time to which you traveled.
5. Last and most important. Drink the coffee before it gets cold or you'll be the ghost to occupy the chair. 🙂
~ (Internal monologue: With rules like this I can clearly see why no one time travels. But I love my beloved too much to let it slip.) OKAY🥴
🛫TIME TRAVEL.. TIME TRAVEL.. *fade, turn into steam*
in the past
XYZ, love of my life.. I love you. *Emotions running high, very high*
*With a tear rolling down the cheeks* I'll wait for you/Ifulfill your dying wish/fulfill the wishes you don't even effing remember
*Teary eyes* BYE *she fades away*
🛬 BACK AGAIN
I've found the love and reason of my life🥺🥲
Rinse & Repeat ×4
Well.. not a you but a me thing.
Too altruistic. Too conservative.
Why does one have to wait three years to marry someone, when that person didn't even try to fight for the relation. Why is a stunningly beautiful, feminine, loving, caring, intelligent, successful woman waiting for her ex who left without even communicating where they stand?
Why can life be fulfilled only by running the family inn you hated for 15 years, after your siblings death. Seems more like guilt than actually finding happiness to me.
Why is a gynecologist's clinic a woman's domain, to be untouched by a man? Is it too unmanly to hold your DYING wife's hands when she's carrying your child? My guy refuses to even go the gynec's appointment with his wife!
Also, why was there not ONE man- NOT A SINGLE MAN who time traveled to fix things or made a sacrifice? It's all the women fixing blunders caused by others, feeling guilty, even dying for others. A woman waits for three years for her non-communicating boyfriend/ex. It's a free spirited woman tethering herself to a family inn she loathed. It's a woman sacrificing her life in pregnancy YET feeling guilty. Like- wtf woman?! You died so that child can live and you still feel guilty!
Maybe the author is actually a feminist- believer in equal rights for all but it most definitely didn't read like one.
Let's just say the cup of coffee was too cold for me and end it here for the more I write about it, the angrier I get. Women are not your incubator, please stop treating us like one. When you choose your UNBORN child over your wife, the apparent Love of your life, you essentially show her how replaceable she is.
TW: Death of sibling, life threatening pregnancy, death while giving birth, death of parent, Alzheimers, husband forgetting his wife.
March 20, 2022
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧
✨Welcome to Funicula Funiculi✨
What will you like? Coffee, mixed parfait, curry rice, toa-
~ 5 months in the past.
5 month- What?
~Send me to the past. I know you can!
Well you see despite going to the past, you can't change the present.
~Umm.. I can't😣
Doesn't matter. Past. Now.
Ahh. Here are the rules.
1. You can't change the present.
2. You have to sit in a particular chair, always occupied by a ghost to time travel.
3. You can't leave the said chair.
4. You can only meet the people who have been to the cafe at the specific time to which you traveled.
5. Last and most important. Drink the coffee before it gets cold or you'll be the ghost to occupy the chair. 🙂
~ (Internal monologue: With rules like this I can clearly see why no one time travels. But I love my beloved too much to let it slip.) OKAY🥴
🛫TIME TRAVEL.. TIME TRAVEL.. *fade, turn into steam*
in the past
XYZ, love of my life.. I love you. *Emotions running high, very high*
*With a tear rolling down the cheeks* I'll wait for you/Ifulfill your dying wish/fulfill the wishes you don't even effing remember
*Teary eyes* BYE *she fades away*
🛬 BACK AGAIN
I've found the love and reason of my life🥺🥲
Rinse & Repeat ×4
Well.. not a you but a me thing.
Too altruistic. Too conservative.
Why does one have to wait three years to marry someone, when that person didn't even try to fight for the relation. Why is a stunningly beautiful, feminine, loving, caring, intelligent, successful woman waiting for her ex who left without even communicating where they stand?
Why can life be fulfilled only by running the family inn you hated for 15 years, after your siblings death. Seems more like guilt than actually finding happiness to me.
Why is a gynecologist's clinic a woman's domain, to be untouched by a man? Is it too unmanly to hold your DYING wife's hands when she's carrying your child? My guy refuses to even go the gynec's appointment with his wife!
Also, why was there not ONE man- NOT A SINGLE MAN who time traveled to fix things or made a sacrifice? It's all the women fixing blunders caused by others, feeling guilty, even dying for others. A woman waits for three years for her non-communicating boyfriend/ex. It's a free spirited woman tethering herself to a family inn she loathed. It's a woman sacrificing her life in pregnancy YET feeling guilty. Like- wtf woman?! You died so that child can live and you still feel guilty!
Maybe the author is actually a feminist- believer in equal rights for all but it most definitely didn't read like one.
Let's just say the cup of coffee was too cold for me and end it here for the more I write about it, the angrier I get. Women are not your incubator, please stop treating us like one. When you choose your UNBORN child over your wife, the apparent Love of your life, you essentially show her how replaceable she is.
TW: Death of sibling, life threatening pregnancy, death while giving birth, death of parent, Alzheimers, husband forgetting his wife.
March 20, 2022
January 12, 2021
Interesting premise, poor execution. The writing was too choppy!
August 18, 2024
Jack Edwards and his half-giggling Booktube videos made me buy this book.
I was at Schuler’s bookstore for the first time and thought Before The Coffee Gets Cold would be a great little book to read while I was spending all day in the coffee shop attached to the bookstore.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold is divided into four sections, but at its heart is the idea that in a certain coffee shop, if you sit in a particular chair, you can go back in time and have a short conversation with someone else who has visited the coffee shop for as long as your coffee stays warm.
The first story, The Lovers, was disappointing. I had to put the book down and pick it back up. There were a bunch of characters that didn’t seem to move the story forward, and it took forever to get to the time travel part. Then, the time travel part was very short.
The second story, Husband and Wife, was much more promising, and it did end up making me cry. It was incredibly moving, and I will remember it for a long time into the future.
The third and fourth stories, The Sisters and Mother and Child, were disappointing as well.
I really wanted to love this especially after reading another Japanese book recently, Four Seasons in Japan, but Before The Coffee Gets Cold wasn’t my cup of tea.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
I was at Schuler’s bookstore for the first time and thought Before The Coffee Gets Cold would be a great little book to read while I was spending all day in the coffee shop attached to the bookstore.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold is divided into four sections, but at its heart is the idea that in a certain coffee shop, if you sit in a particular chair, you can go back in time and have a short conversation with someone else who has visited the coffee shop for as long as your coffee stays warm.
The first story, The Lovers, was disappointing. I had to put the book down and pick it back up. There were a bunch of characters that didn’t seem to move the story forward, and it took forever to get to the time travel part. Then, the time travel part was very short.
The second story, Husband and Wife, was much more promising, and it did end up making me cry. It was incredibly moving, and I will remember it for a long time into the future.
The third and fourth stories, The Sisters and Mother and Child, were disappointing as well.
I really wanted to love this especially after reading another Japanese book recently, Four Seasons in Japan, but Before The Coffee Gets Cold wasn’t my cup of tea.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
January 7, 2021
I went into this one with some hesitation as when I looked at my friends reviews, a grand total of two of them seemed to like it and everyone else didn't (some disliked it quite a bit). Still, I received it as a Christmas gift and who am I to pass on a free Japanese novel?
After I got to the half way point, I had to agree with a few things I saw many reviewers commenting on; the book is repetitive and that it’s overly sentimental, both of which are negatives for me. Now when I say overly sentimental, I mean the book will pull out any trick to get an emotional reaction from you, short of a child cancer patient caring for a sick kitten. The book is designed to try to get you to cry. My wife is a big fan of Japanese and Korean dramas and this feels like the novel equivalent. Comedy and melodrama mixed, wanting you to either laugh, cry or simply hope things will work out because we want our melancholy to be mixed with joy.
As for repetitive, the book, while a novel, is in many ways really just four short stories that are essentially variations of the same set up and (to a degree at least) the same conclusion. When looking up the author I discovered that he was a play writer, which does not surprise me in the slightest. The book really is a play in novel format down to the entire book taking place in the same room (one of the time travel rules is that you can't leave your seat).
Now, those two complaints aside... honestly, I kind of liked it. This is by no means a great novel, but I found the time travel rules fairly amusing (and frustrating, but it kind of delighted me in that regard as well). Also, I liked the character of Kazu. As a former barista I delighted in her character. A customer comes in and pisses off a ghost and gets herself cursed? Well, offer the ghost some coffee. The ghost is just an annoyance and the customer should have been focusing on the coffee and leaving the ghost alone anyway (This really is how 90% of baristas who work the night crew would act, I assure you. You did something stupid, we would note it for future stories and possibly even post a snarky sign telling customers not to do the stupid thing again).
Maybe it's not great, maybe it's more sentimental than a Spielberg movie aiming for an Oscar, but overall, I personally found a lot to like. Maybe it just caught me in the right mood... but I'll give it 3/5 stars
After I got to the half way point, I had to agree with a few things I saw many reviewers commenting on; the book is repetitive and that it’s overly sentimental, both of which are negatives for me. Now when I say overly sentimental, I mean the book will pull out any trick to get an emotional reaction from you, short of a child cancer patient caring for a sick kitten. The book is designed to try to get you to cry. My wife is a big fan of Japanese and Korean dramas and this feels like the novel equivalent. Comedy and melodrama mixed, wanting you to either laugh, cry or simply hope things will work out because we want our melancholy to be mixed with joy.
As for repetitive, the book, while a novel, is in many ways really just four short stories that are essentially variations of the same set up and (to a degree at least) the same conclusion. When looking up the author I discovered that he was a play writer, which does not surprise me in the slightest. The book really is a play in novel format down to the entire book taking place in the same room (one of the time travel rules is that you can't leave your seat).
Now, those two complaints aside... honestly, I kind of liked it. This is by no means a great novel, but I found the time travel rules fairly amusing (and frustrating, but it kind of delighted me in that regard as well). Also, I liked the character of Kazu. As a former barista I delighted in her character. A customer comes in and pisses off a ghost and gets herself cursed? Well, offer the ghost some coffee. The ghost is just an annoyance and the customer should have been focusing on the coffee and leaving the ghost alone anyway (This really is how 90% of baristas who work the night crew would act, I assure you. You did something stupid, we would note it for future stories and possibly even post a snarky sign telling customers not to do the stupid thing again).
Maybe it's not great, maybe it's more sentimental than a Spielberg movie aiming for an Oscar, but overall, I personally found a lot to like. Maybe it just caught me in the right mood... but I'll give it 3/5 stars
October 8, 2022
Finally done with this dry as fuck stage direction booklet (this isn't a novel and you can't convince me otherwise) Dry as fuck, awkward (none of the characters feel like people at any given time), but also too cutesy (there's anime bullshit like "the cute young girl puffed her cheeks in frustration"), and too repetitive (the time travelling rules are repeated ad nauseam throughout, and every single "traveller" has the exact same thoughts before, during, and after)
Every single story is sickly sappy and tries so hard to make you tear up (the despite-the-odds romance! The couple that will end up like "The Notebook"! The "black lamb coming home" family story! The "mother sacrifices her own life to give birth to a child she'll never meet" bullshit!) that it ends up being the exact opposite.
Not to mention the ridiculous, vaguely sexist plots. The incredibly successful woman who speaks 6 languages breaks down because, apparently, her entire life revolves around her boyfriend who's moving away (like they can't do a long distance relationship??? He's not going to die??) The independent bar owner who has to be punished for living away from her family and is made by the plot to move back home and "learn to love" the family business? The sickly-but-always-cheerful mother who sacrifices her own life for the good of her unborn child (that she didn't need to have??? Someone explain to me why it's soooo heartwarming for a child to grow up without a mother, and the mother KNOWING this and deciding to go through with it anyway) It's fucking terrible.
I get why people seem to like this but it did absolutely nothing for me. I had to push myself to finish it when I was already at 90% and I ended up skimming that last 10%. Good riddance.
Every single story is sickly sappy and tries so hard to make you tear up (the despite-the-odds romance! The couple that will end up like "The Notebook"! The "black lamb coming home" family story! The "mother sacrifices her own life to give birth to a child she'll never meet" bullshit!) that it ends up being the exact opposite.
Not to mention the ridiculous, vaguely sexist plots. The incredibly successful woman who speaks 6 languages breaks down because, apparently, her entire life revolves around her boyfriend who's moving away (like they can't do a long distance relationship??? He's not going to die??) The independent bar owner who has to be punished for living away from her family and is made by the plot to move back home and "learn to love" the family business? The sickly-but-always-cheerful mother who sacrifices her own life for the good of her unborn child (that she didn't need to have??? Someone explain to me why it's soooo heartwarming for a child to grow up without a mother, and the mother KNOWING this and deciding to go through with it anyway) It's fucking terrible.
I get why people seem to like this but it did absolutely nothing for me. I had to push myself to finish it when I was already at 90% and I ended up skimming that last 10%. Good riddance.
April 18, 2020
Like a nice cup of coffee on a rainy day, this book warmed my heart and put a smile on my face. Split into four parts, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a wonderful, quick read that will transport readers to a mysterious cafe where its patrons are able to time-travel but must return before the coffee gets cold. There, we follow along with four different stories of characters wanting to reconcile past arguments, find closure, or assure loved ones through the use of time-travel.
While this book is slow-moving and heavily reliant on dialogue rather than descriptions (something that I really, really enjoy but others may not like), I absolutely fell in love with the story and the little lessons woven into each narrative. It was bittersweet, endearing, and touching to see people from all walks of life try to reconnect with loved ones where they learn that they might not be able to completely fix the past, but they can learn from it and be touched by it.
For months upon months, I've eyed this book, wanting to dive into its story, and, now, I'm so glad that I did. It felt like a warm hug given to be by a sweet yet heartbreaking read.
While this book is slow-moving and heavily reliant on dialogue rather than descriptions (something that I really, really enjoy but others may not like), I absolutely fell in love with the story and the little lessons woven into each narrative. It was bittersweet, endearing, and touching to see people from all walks of life try to reconnect with loved ones where they learn that they might not be able to completely fix the past, but they can learn from it and be touched by it.
For months upon months, I've eyed this book, wanting to dive into its story, and, now, I'm so glad that I did. It felt like a warm hug given to be by a sweet yet heartbreaking read.
April 21, 2023
I spotted this when I was browsing in a bookshop. I love time travel paradoxes, the premise and setting of this sounded intriguing, and I was charmed by the cover (shards of aqua foil, plus a cat that isn't in the book). How shallow I am. This is my penance.
What would you do?
Who wouldn’t want to travel in time, if there was no danger? The main problem would be choosing when and where to go. The rules in this scenario are so limiting, choice is easy. Plus, there’s a sort of reverse butterfly effect: whatever you see or say, won’t change the present. That sounds safe - but also pointless: more like watching a film reel than actually travelling.
It’s set in a 140-year old Japanese basement café in the present day. No windows, so “A permanent sepia hue stained the café interior”. It has three counter seats, and three two-people tables, three clocks, and three staff.
Each of the four sections focus on a particular situation that prompts a woman to to see loved-ones they cannot otherwise see, or get answers to important questions. There's a backdrop of recurring characters and a continuous, chronological narrative.
The willing suspension of disbelief
It’s especially important to suppress incredulity in time travel stories, which often don’t (and can’t) explain the mechanics. The key word is “willing”. There was too much I disliked for me to suspend the large amounts of disbelief required. I read the whole book, even though I didn’t enjoy it, in the vain hope I’d be won over. The saving grace is that it’s quite short.
Image: John Tenniel’s illustration of the White Rabbit, worrying about being late.
The rules
• You must return “before the coffee gets cold”, otherwise .
• You must sit in a specific seat and not move from it.
• That seat is occupied most of the time .
• You must not challenge the person sitting in the time travel seat .
• You can only meet someone who has been to the café.
• You can only use the time travel seat once.
• You can travel to the past or the future, but the rules make the future more problematic, so few people do it.
The title rule had promise, but the others made it less interesting. I felt as if some had been added later to make the story work - but they failed.
I now wonder if it would work better without the time travel element! Just tell the four poignant stories of semi-connected women (ideally in a more positive way), where they find peace from information via more conventional means, such as a cache of old letters or a long-lost relative.
The flaws in the rules
Not plot spoilers, but I want to remember what I disliked, without highlighting those features to people who enjoyed the book. I don’t think it's possible to tell a time travel story without any contradictions or unanswered questions, but this has far too many, imo.
The flaws in the book
Not plot spoilers, but I want to remember what I disliked, without highlighting those features to people who enjoyed the book.
Other things are just odd. Had I enjoyed the book, I might have thought them charming quirks.
What would you do?
Who wouldn’t want to travel in time, if there was no danger? The main problem would be choosing when and where to go. The rules in this scenario are so limiting, choice is easy. Plus, there’s a sort of reverse butterfly effect: whatever you see or say, won’t change the present. That sounds safe - but also pointless: more like watching a film reel than actually travelling.
It’s set in a 140-year old Japanese basement café in the present day. No windows, so “A permanent sepia hue stained the café interior”. It has three counter seats, and three two-people tables, three clocks, and three staff.
Each of the four sections focus on a particular situation that prompts a woman to to see loved-ones they cannot otherwise see, or get answers to important questions. There's a backdrop of recurring characters and a continuous, chronological narrative.
The willing suspension of disbelief
It’s especially important to suppress incredulity in time travel stories, which often don’t (and can’t) explain the mechanics. The key word is “willing”. There was too much I disliked for me to suspend the large amounts of disbelief required. I read the whole book, even though I didn’t enjoy it, in the vain hope I’d be won over. The saving grace is that it’s quite short.
Image: John Tenniel’s illustration of the White Rabbit, worrying about being late.
The rules
• You must return “before the coffee gets cold”, otherwise .
• You must sit in a specific seat and not move from it.
• That seat is occupied most of the time .
• You must not challenge the person sitting in the time travel seat .
• You can only meet someone who has been to the café.
• You can only use the time travel seat once.
• You can travel to the past or the future, but the rules make the future more problematic, so few people do it.
The title rule had promise, but the others made it less interesting. I felt as if some had been added later to make the story work - but they failed.
I now wonder if it would work better without the time travel element! Just tell the four poignant stories of semi-connected women (ideally in a more positive way), where they find peace from information via more conventional means, such as a cache of old letters or a long-lost relative.
The flaws in the rules
Not plot spoilers, but I want to remember what I disliked, without highlighting those features to people who enjoyed the book. I don’t think it's possible to tell a time travel story without any contradictions or unanswered questions, but this has far too many, imo.
The flaws in the book
Not plot spoilers, but I want to remember what I disliked, without highlighting those features to people who enjoyed the book.
Other things are just odd. Had I enjoyed the book, I might have thought them charming quirks.
July 13, 2022
3.5⭐
“They were in a windowless basement café. The lighting was provided by just six shaded lamps hanging from the ceiling and a single wall lamp near the entrance. A permanent sepia hue stained the café interior. Without a clock, there was no way to tell whether it was night or day. There were three large antique wall clocks in the café. The arms of each, however, showed different times. Was this intentional? Or were they just broken? Customers on their first visit never understood why the clocks were like this.”
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi features four interwoven stories set in the retro Funiculi Funicula Café in Japan – a café that is not only popular for its aromatic brew but one that is the subject of an urban legend as the “ café that transports you back in time”.
Time travel, as facilitated by the cafe, is possible but under strict rules and limitations at the center of which (contrary to popular belief influenced by movies and novels) is : “There is nothing you can do while in the past that will change the present.”
One would wonder why then, would someone go back in the past if it would have no visible impact on the present. If your regrets, missed opportunities and mistakes are not undone and your life does not change for the better why would you go to the trouble of embarking on such a journey? As we meet the owners, staff and patrons of this magical café, a few of whom facilitate the journey for others and some who partake in the venture for different reasons -a young professional who believes she has chosen her career over the man she loves, a wife dealing with her husband's Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a woman who is racked by guilt for the way she treated her late sister and an expectant mother who is willing to sacrifice her life to bring her baby into this world- we share their experiences of time-travel and the impact that the same has on them and their lives Ultimately this is a story about love, relationships, sacrifice and the lengths one would go to for the people they care about.
With its atmospheric setting and imagery, simple prose and elements of magical realism, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is an engaging and thought-provoking read. Though the occasional dispassionate tone and the repetitiveness in the text did bother me slightly, overall I did enjoy the read and look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present does not change. So it raises the question: just what is the point of that chair?
But Kazu still goes on believing that, no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”
“They were in a windowless basement café. The lighting was provided by just six shaded lamps hanging from the ceiling and a single wall lamp near the entrance. A permanent sepia hue stained the café interior. Without a clock, there was no way to tell whether it was night or day. There were three large antique wall clocks in the café. The arms of each, however, showed different times. Was this intentional? Or were they just broken? Customers on their first visit never understood why the clocks were like this.”
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi features four interwoven stories set in the retro Funiculi Funicula Café in Japan – a café that is not only popular for its aromatic brew but one that is the subject of an urban legend as the “ café that transports you back in time”.
Time travel, as facilitated by the cafe, is possible but under strict rules and limitations at the center of which (contrary to popular belief influenced by movies and novels) is : “There is nothing you can do while in the past that will change the present.”
One would wonder why then, would someone go back in the past if it would have no visible impact on the present. If your regrets, missed opportunities and mistakes are not undone and your life does not change for the better why would you go to the trouble of embarking on such a journey? As we meet the owners, staff and patrons of this magical café, a few of whom facilitate the journey for others and some who partake in the venture for different reasons -a young professional who believes she has chosen her career over the man she loves, a wife dealing with her husband's Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a woman who is racked by guilt for the way she treated her late sister and an expectant mother who is willing to sacrifice her life to bring her baby into this world- we share their experiences of time-travel and the impact that the same has on them and their lives Ultimately this is a story about love, relationships, sacrifice and the lengths one would go to for the people they care about.
With its atmospheric setting and imagery, simple prose and elements of magical realism, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is an engaging and thought-provoking read. Though the occasional dispassionate tone and the repetitiveness in the text did bother me slightly, overall I did enjoy the read and look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present does not change. So it raises the question: just what is the point of that chair?
But Kazu still goes on believing that, no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”
May 24, 2023
thanking past me for not finishing this on the bus. i think the tears would have been uncomfortable for everyone involved
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