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A review by lunabean
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This one had been on my TBR list for a long time, finally got to reading it, and was particularly disappointed. ☹️ I’m quite surprised that lots of people claim that this book holds some profound life lesson, when really it was so simple and cliche.
The book is set in a cafe with a “magical” power that allows people to time travel when they sit in a particular seat. The rules include not being able to leave their seat while time travelling, and finishing their cup of coffee before it gets cold (hence the title) to return to the present. The book is divided into 4 parts, each part telling the story of one person time travelling and the reasons for them doing so.
For all the talk it had, I’d expected some radical, or at least keen, wisdom and enlightenment, but the stories told of the usual “going back in time to see family/a lover” and had no particular insight for me. As for the writing, perhaps language can be lost in translation, but it was so simple with no emotive articulation. Nothing metaphorical that comes with the huge grey area of life and all it’s feelings!!
And what was the point of the woman in the white dress? 🫠
The book is set in a cafe with a “magical” power that allows people to time travel when they sit in a particular seat. The rules include not being able to leave their seat while time travelling, and finishing their cup of coffee before it gets cold (hence the title) to return to the present. The book is divided into 4 parts, each part telling the story of one person time travelling and the reasons for them doing so.
For all the talk it had, I’d expected some radical, or at least keen, wisdom and enlightenment, but the stories told of the usual “going back in time to see family/a lover” and had no particular insight for me. As for the writing, perhaps language can be lost in translation, but it was so simple with no emotive articulation. Nothing metaphorical that comes with the huge grey area of life and all it’s feelings!!
And what was the point of the woman in the white dress? 🫠