Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2)
5⭐
Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism, Asian Literature, East Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Book Series, Translated Books, Fantasy, Paranormal
Original Title: この嘘がばれないうちに
Original Language: Japanese
Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselot
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 17th September 2020
Book Blurb:
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer.
Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:
The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift...
This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?
My Review:
I loved the first book but this
second installment was even better. All four stories were heart-warming and
heart-wrenching at the same time, as well as, covering so much depth when it
comes to grief, loss, love, relationships, happiness, and illness. Each of the
characters were so well explored and their stories are also so relatable.
The second installment of Before
Coffee Gets Cold presents readers with four new customers in the café that want
to time travel to the past or the future. In the first story, we meet a man who
wants to visit his best friend and tell him about his daughter. The second
story follows a boy who didn’t have a chance to go to his mother’s funeral but
wants to see her one last time. The third story presents us with a soon-to-be
husband who is also terminally ill and visits his fiancé in the future in the
hope to see her happy without him. The fourth story follows a detective who is now
retired and wants to travel to the past to give his wife one last gift for her last
birthday that he sadly missed.
Loved that we get to learn more
about Kazu, one of the café’s waitresses, as well as a backstory of the ghost
that occupies the time-traveling chair. For me, Kazu’s backstory was a
highlight of this second book. Also, Miki's character was just so adorable. She
added so many good emotions and happiness to the café and customers, as well as
changed the café’s mood from very mysterious as in the first book to very
welcoming and homely, which was a very interesting change. I believe that these
background stories about the café’s staff and the café itself just add so much
atmosphere to the story and keep all the stories so well interconnected.
Overall: It is another
heart-warming and heart-wrenching installment of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I
love mythical realism in Japanese literature and this series executed this so
well. Mystical realism mixed with everyday characters and stories makes this
book a perfect blend for the perfect autumn read. I loved it so much and recommend
it to everyone that loves short stories, Japanese literature, and mystical
realism.
About the Author:
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) 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 an 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is his debut as an author. It has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/toshikazu-kawaguchi/28093
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