“Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a heartwarming answer to the question “what if,” reminding us that the best thing we can do is look forward with hope, not backward in regret.

---

Genre: Magical Realism, Fiction, Fantasy

---

Rating: 3.5/5

Introduction
Before the Coffee Gets Cold has been on my radar for quite some time. I would (somewhat embarrassingly) guess that at least two years have passed since I first put it on my mental “to be read” shelf, and my constant encounters with the book, impatiently waiting in the foreign books section every time I visit my local bookstore, have never ceased to remind me of that fact. It’s funny looking back now, because I feel as if I befriended this story long before I even flipped through its first pages, the exposure from countless book reviews over the years helping me know exactly what to expect.

Water flows from high places to low places. That is the nature of gravity. Emotions also seem to act according to gravity. When in the presence of someone with whom you have a bond, and to whom you have entrusted your feelings, it is hard to lie and get away with it

Now, you might be wondering: what impelled me to pick up this book now, after all this time? Well, if I had to give a straightforward reply, it would be that this summer rekindled my thirst for a simple yet heartwarming tale that doesn’t ask much from the reader, and this book (as I had guessed) was like a match made in heaven in that regard.

Before I get into all the praise I have, I want to first start off with the things I didn’t like: namely, the prose—or more accurately, the lack of it. The thing is, even though I wasn’t expecting much from the writing of a translated book like this, I was still struck by how different it was from what I usually read. The story, which is divided into four separate parts, felt very disjointed, and the description, while not overly bad, simply didn’t feel like that of a novel. I was a bit skeptical during my reading, but now I know why: the author is a playwright first and a novelist second, which explains why this story feels like it was made for the stage. While that doesn’t change many of my complaints, I can’t really criticize the author for it—especially because I feel like it works well with the story.

“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn’t change.”

However, the best thing about this book is what actually happens. Without spoiling the entire story, the narrative revolves around a magical coffee shop that allows those who sit in a certain chair to travel through time, whether to the past or future. There are several rules to this power, though: you need to come back before “the coffee gets cold,” you can only meet people who have been to that coffee shop, and no matter what you do, it will not change the present.

Throughout the book, four people decide to sit at the table for different reasons, and every one of them will bring tears to your eyes. The way they navigate their grief by talking to the people they wished they had talked to sooner—and slowly come to terms with the unchangeable nature of the choices they’ve made—was absolutely beautiful and heartwarming to witness. It reminded me that worrying about all the decisions I regret (and will always regret) won’t get me anywhere, and that instead of staying in the past, I should start living the present to the fullest. It was such a special and transformative journey for me.

“With the coffee in front of her, she closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. It was her moment of happiness.”

Overall, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, despite some of its flaws, was a wonderful story that fulfilled exactly what I was looking for at the moment I read it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone searching for a book that will tug at their heartstrings. 3.5/5.

“But Kazu still goes on believing that, no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”