A review by singalana
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book broke my heart. I didn't expect to feel so deeply and find philosophical meaning in this work. In Tokyo, there's a café that can allow you to travel in time to meet someone who has visited that café, but you only have time until the coffee gets cold. At first, I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it or not. In the beginning of the book we get to know how the process of going back works, and I was sceptical whether it will be executed believably. 

In this book, we follow four different storylines. Even though all of them were touching in their own way, the second one was really heartbreaking, and made me bawl my eyes out. 

The book still feels like it sort of keeps the reader at an arm's length, something I find that many japanese authors do, it manages to pack a punch, and make the reader ponder on philosophical questions. It does that by gently leading the reader to think on their own. 

If the purpose of art is to make people feel something, then this book certainly delivers. 
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