Before The Coffee Gets Cold 

Before The Coffee Gets Cold 

Author- Toshikazu Kawaguchi 

Publisher‏: Hanover Square Press; Original ed. edition (17 November 2020) 

Language‏: ‎ English 

Theme- fictional anthology, Literary fiction 

Rating-3.8/5 

What would you do if you could go back in time to meet a loved one and say all that you couldn’t then? Would it matter if the rule stated that the present wouldn’t change? But something changes, and it’s something only the person who has undertaken the expedition can realize. 

Kawaguchi addresses all these questions and traipses a maze of emotions in this intriguing anthology of four stories. 

A married couple, Kei and Nagare, run a café, Funiculi Funicula, assisted by Nagare’sNagare’s cousin, Kazu, a university student. Not an ordinary bistro, the place has earned a reputation of somewhat an urban legend—one could go back to a moment in the past if they were lucky enough to grab a seat from a ghost. But this time travel comes with a stack of conditions and rules needing absolute compliance. 

These rules are tricky and seem to defeat the purpose of time travel. There is a dictum of never leaving the cafe during the sojourn in the past. A stockpile of other norms complicates it further: nothing can change the present, the time-travel can only happen in one specific seat, and one can only interact with people who have hung out in the coffee shop, some time or another. Not to mention the short window of time available for the quest; the passengers must touch base into the present before the coffee gets cold, lest they replace the ghost lady in the hot seat. Apparently, the ghost lady is the hapless one who disregarded the rule of not returning in time. 

The intertwined lives of the cafe owner and its clients, the complex emotions, and the human sentiments are spotlighted one at a time. Divided into sketches featuring the tours taken by the café patrons, staff, and owners, the novel reflects the impact of their journeys on their collective conscience. 

The wisdom and enlightenment schlepped from the past lead the narrative, braiding the small cast together. 

The story titled Lovers—outlines ego, pride, and disguised insecurities in a romantic relationship. Husband and Wife—dissects the emotional roller coaster a marriage becomes after being burdened by a medical ailment. Sisters—delineates why it is important to have perspective and why giving your family another chance is vital. Mother and child—is a tale with a twist and runs high on emotions. 

The novel reads like a play, and the characters go about their parts as if performing on stage. It all fit, with good reason, I later discovered. Apparently, Kawaguchi is an award-winning playwright and adapted the play ““Before the Coffee Gets Cold” into an international bestseller after its resounding theatrical success. 

On the flip side, the characters, setting, and descriptive style get a tad monotonous after a point. Many extra details about characters are given but seem to have no consequence in the final plotline. Sometimes, the scheme wanders in a nonlinear fashion before the conclusion. 

Of course, Kawaguchi’s writing cannot be compared to other globally celebrated writers like Murakami, Higashino, or Yoshimoto. But you wouldn’t be disheartened if you could somehow get past the shortcomings. Kawaguchi promises to regale you with whimsical, emotional, and stirring stories tangled with fragile threads of love and loss, family and freedom, life and death. 

All the stories are amusing and fascinating. The book is a fast and simple read, the language expressive and pertinent, with a generous sprinkling of Japanese terms. The way Kawaguchi sutures the stories together, crisscrossing and knotting the plots, is appealing. 

A leisure-read, this book kept me excellent company for a 3-hour flight! 

****

About the author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi 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 COUPLESunset 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.
Read more here.
****

Emotions tied together with a string of time travel

Easy Readability
conversation-starter
Relatability

Japanese characters with global appeal!

What would you do if you could go back in time to meet a loved one and say all that you couldn’t then? Would it matter if the rule stated that the present wouldn’t change? But something changes, and it’s something only the person who has undertaken the expedition can realize.  Kawaguchi addresses all these questions and traipses a maze of emotions in this intriguing anthology of four stories.

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