Before the Coffee Gets Cold
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Summary
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a cozy, philosophical, time-travel international bestseller. The cafe Funiculi Funicula has had a rumor swirling around it for decades: it can provide customers with the ability to time-travel. However, this ability is limited by a number of non-negotiable rules, including — but not limited to — where customers have to sit in order to time travel, the fact that they will never be able to change the past, that they can only meet with people who have been to the cafe before, and that they must complete their temporal jaunt before their coffee gets cold.
Assessment
Originally written in Japanese by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, this short novel is divided into four individual, yet linked stories. Each one focuses on a different person with a different reason for wanting to travel to the past. For some, it’s wanting to track down a lost lover and for others it is an attempt to make peace with a friend or family member. The stories are unique and distinctive from one another, painting pictures of relatable people with very real hearts and heartaches.
The story (or perhaps its translation) is a little clunky at times, but the overall writing style is easy to get into. The novel is less focused on plot and more on displaying the characters in vignettes, exploring ideas of joy, grief, peace, steadfast love, and patience while asking the question “what would you say to a lost loved one if given the chance?”. There is some tension in whether or not the time traveling customer is going to obey all of the cafe’s rules — disobedience does come with consequences — but overall the story
The novel is not Christian by any means, but it is both clean and contains a lot of bittersweet encouragement to reconcile with family members and express affection before its too late. The actual time travel mechanics of the cafe are not explained in any real way — since that really isn’t the point of the story. It does hint towards a slightly supernatural explanation, as there is a ghost tangentially involved with time travel and the coffee must be poured by a specific waitress at the cafe, but there is nothing beyond that to indicate how the time travel occurs. The story is clean enough to be read by just about anyone with the ability to comprehend it, however, the tone and content will definitely appeal more to adults than kids or teens.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Worldbuilding: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: N/A
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
This book and its sequels seem like they are everywhere right now, and, in my opinion, with good reason. It is simultaneously cozy and intriguing, heartwarming, charming, and it takes a look at heartache and grief in a comforting way. While the book isn’t exactly a comedy, there is a lot of wry humor in the way the characters interact with one another — particularly the cafe’s owner/chef — and some fun personalities that border on caricatures.
The novel has some of the most unique time travel mechanics I’ve ever seen, but they stay simple enough that, even if you don’t enjoy all the paradoxes and scientific theories behind time travel, you’ll be able to really enjoy this book. In fact, I’d say this is more for the people who aren’t necessarily looking for a time-travel story, but are more interested in a “chicken soup for the soul” type story with some interesting worldbuilding. There are about eight in total rules for time travel (including the three listed above) and each one seems to have a specific purpose within the story’s worldbuilding. The extensive list forces the narrative into almost knife-edge situations that the author handles deftly.
Honestly, I love how mysterious the cafe is. Nothing is really explained in regards to the how and why the cafe allows for time travel, and that gives it this perfect, “urban legend” kind of vibe to the whole situation. While it does hint at a slightly supernatural explanation (there’s a ghost that’s tangentially involved in the time travel process), it definitely wasn’t anything that made me as a Christian feel uncomfortable. The whole thing is, more than anything, a plot device.
Where to Enjoy
Barnes & Noble: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble®
Books-A-Million: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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