If you could go back in time to relive a moment with someone you love, would you? This idea is explored in the BookTok sensation, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the first in a three-book series.

Set in a time-travelling café in Japan, the novel follows four different customers who each visit the café in hopes of reliving a past interaction. From illness to heartbreak and death – each character is driven by some form of loss and grief to travel back in time. However, they soon learn there are limits to time travel. You can only meet someone who has visited the café, you can only remain in a specific seat in the café, you cannot change the past, and most importantly, you must return to the present before your coffee gets cold. Within these guidelines, each character confronts their past and loved ones.

Kawaguchi’s writing is charming and I found each story moving. While there is repetition at times, I think in part this is because the novel was originally written as a play. Regardless, I enjoyed the stories and I am eager to read the other books in the series.

Reviewed by Akina Hansen

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 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.