Book Review 38 (2024) - 5/5 - 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold', Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Fiction - Magical Realism/Time-Travel - Japan

One of my top picks for 2024

This book came to me as a gift from my brother Adrian Foley before my trip to Japan, and while I didn’t read it back then, I’m so glad I waited. Having experienced Japanese culture firsthand—the hospitality, the quirky charm, and the unassuming precision that makes everything tick like clockwork—it made the world of this novel come alive in a way I couldn’t have appreciated before.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold isn’t your typical time-travel story, but that’s exactly what makes it so unforgettable. Time travel usually promises grandiose fixes to past mistakes or cosmic do-overs, but in the quiet, almost magical confines of a tucked-away Tokyo café, the rules are different. Here, you can revisit the past but only on very specific terms:

1️⃣ You can only visit people who’ve been to the café.

2️⃣ No matter what you do, the present won’t change. The universe ensures outcomes remain the same.

3️⃣ You can’t go back in time until the café’s resident ghost—the woman in the white dress—vacates her chair to use the bathroom.

4️⃣ You must stay seated and never leave the café.

5️⃣ Most importantly, you must finish your coffee before it gets cold.

With those constraints, you’d think, “Why bother?” That’s exactly what I thought too! But as you delve into the lives of the café’s patrons and staff, you realize that the point isn’t about changing the past—it’s about changing your perspective on it.

The stories weave together beautifully, each one brimming with heartache, hope, and quiet revelations:

• A woman yearning to give her husband one last moment of clarity before Alzheimer’s takes his memories forever.
• A young woman desperate to reconcile with her lover after letting him leave for a job abroad.
• A nightclub owner reluctant to meet her estranged sister, fearing their relationship is beyond repair.
• And finally, a pregnant café worker with a weak heart who longs to glimpse the future, just in case she doesn’t make it.

Kawaguchi’s storytelling shines because of how deeply these characters’ lives resonate. While the rules seem restrictive, they strip time travel of its usual melodrama and force the characters—and us—to confront what really matters: not the events, but how we live with them.

This novel is like stepping into a warm, dimly lit café on a cold day. It’s unassuming, quirky, and deeply comforting. It reminds us that while we can’t always change the past, we can change how we carry it forward.

If you’re looking for a reflective, life-affirming read to close out the year, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is my wholehearted recommendation. Find yourself a cozy café, grab a copy, and savor it—before your own coffee gets cold.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Merry Christmas, and happy reading!

CPH

Under these conditions, let me ask: assuming the person you want to meet visited the café, when would you go back to, and who would you visit?

If you’ve read Before the Coffee Gets Cold, drop a comment or send me a message! How did the book make you reflect on your own life? Did you feel the limitations of the time-travel rules enhanced the story, or did they frustrate you?

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