If you could travel back in time, what would you do? That’s the question “Before The Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi asks its readers. The novel was published on December 6th, 2015, by Sunmark Publishing and is a fictional story, with elements of magical realism. It’s the first book in a series of five, with 272 pages, also making it a quick read. I would highly recommend reading the novel – the author’s writing is wonderfully immersive, and its descriptions absolutely bring it to life.
The story is set in a cafe in an alley in Tokyo. The cafe is called “Funiculi Funicula” and is like any other you’d find – they serve coffee, tasty snacks, and have a cozy ambiance. Except for one thing, there’s a legend that surrounds the cafe as well as its coffee. They say that if you sit in a specific seat, and drink a full cup of coffee before it gets cold, you can travel through time. And the thing even crazier than the tale itself is that it’s true.
Funiculi Funicula is owned by Nagare Tokita, and his wife, Kei. For the most part in the story, they are spectators, watching the events of the fellow staff members and customers unfold. The story is told in the past tense, and by a narrator that is in the third person omniscient. This point of view and narration gives the reader a deep look into character’s lives, and how they experience events, further adding to the immersive quality of the novel.
Now, while you can travel either backwards or forwards in time here, there are specific circumstances that must be met and rules to be followed. Firstly, when traveling, you can only meet someone that has visited the cafe before. Secondly, no matter what happens in the time they travel to, it cannot/does not affect the present. Third, you must sit in a specific seat and stay there for the duration of your travel. Lastly, you must finish the entire cup of coffee before it goes cold. If you don’t adhere to the rules, or fail to finish the coffee, you are forever stuck in the chair. There is a ghost that lives in the cafe, a woman who went back in time to visit her dead husband one more time. She let the coffee go cold, and therefore, is stuck in the chair. She can only leave once a day, to go to the bathroom, but is otherwise confined. The ghost serves as a caution to all those who wish to travel.
In the novel, there are four interconnected stories (each with their own chapter) all connected by the cafe, and therefore, time travel. The first, is titled “The Lovers” and follows a couple through their struggles with communication. The second, titled “Husband and Wife” is about a married couple, where the husband is ill. The third, “The Sisters” discusses grief and family affairs. And finally, the fourth is titled “Mother and Child” and follows one of the staff members and her journey. All of the stories, and the characters within them are compelling, and very emotional.
Through this piece, I’ve discussed how much emotion is in the novel, and how alive the descriptions are. So, here’s an example: “Finally the sensation of rippling and shimmering faded. Kohtake opened her eyes. She saw the slowly rotating ceiling fan..her hands, and her feet. She was no longer steam.”
Overall, I would highly recommend this book – I would recommend it to those who like fantasy, mystical realism, reflective text, and deep messaging. The way that the author can discuss complex topics such as grief, and love through a mystical topic such as time travel is wonderful. As I was reading, I reflected a lot. Not only was I heavily invested in the characters, and their journeys but my own. Through my reading, I wondered what I would do if I were to be able to go back in time, who I would see, and what I would say. I enjoy books that leave room for questions, philosophical thought and emotional reflection, and that’s exactly what this book is.
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