Book Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
The novel, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first of a series of six. Originally written in Japanese, the title being コーヒーが冷めないうちに, it was translated into English by Geoffrey Trousselot. The series is composed of six short 300 hundred paged novels written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. The novelty of this tale is a café that can magically give its customers the ability to time travel. This virtue comes with its rules, risks and potential ruin. The reader dives into the story and its individuals they learn of both the essence of quality time with our loved ones and the endless opportunities to better oneself in the future.
This special and magical café situated in Tokyo, named Funiculi Funicula, is a place of mystery. Underground, always kept cold and with three clocks showing different times; the location seems to have a mind of its own. It was once famous for its phenomenal ability to travel through time, but as customers learnt of the long and insufferable list of rules that are applied, the popularity of the café died down. Firstly, you can only time travel in one particular seat in the cafe, which happens to be occupied by a ghost most of the time. You have to wait for this ghost – at the time a girl in a white dress – to leave for a toilet break. Only then, can you sit down and travel back in time. In the past or perhaps in the future, you may not move from that particular seat. You may only visit people who have visited the café before at that specific time. Most notably, you must drink a cup of coffee before it goes cold. If this is not achieved, you will be confined to that chair and replace the ghost before you, sitting for perhaps eternity; alone with callousness. Finally, the aspect that repulses the most, is that whatever was done in the past, the present will remain the same.
There are five prominent characters in this tale; the barista of the café, Kuzu; a heartbroken businesswoman, Fumiko; the wife of a husband with Alzimers, Kohtake; a bar owner who’s just lost her sister, Hiria; and a soon a mother with a problematic heart condition, Kei. They all are willing to risk their safety to see a particular loved one. We read as the characters either struggle to get into the seat or leap for it as desperation increases. As the novel progresses we learn more and more about the relationships between these characters. Fumiko is the only one without any previous relation to the other characters, and therefore I believe it is genius of Kawaguchi to begin with her story. The book is written in a third-person perspective but focuses on Fumiko and her struggle to find love. We see the owners of the cafe and its regular customers from an outsider's perspective, which adds mystery and curiosity. At first, I didn’t like Kuzu nor Hiria for their harsh judgement of Fumiko but, as I read on, I saw things from their perspectives and I was able to sympathise with them.
The novel is divided into four chapters, each one focusing on a customer’s story, excluding the story of Kuzu. However, I would argue that we get to know her character better and better as she appears throughout the novel. She is the one that I find the most interesting. Her cold and harsh yet wise and calm demeanour creates an eerie and soft atmosphere.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, is neither exciting nor suspenseful but it has a certain ambience; atmosphere; and aesthetic that draws the reader in. It doesn’t only have a good vibe but also comes with important life lessons. The individual stories follow a similar structure so it got a bit repetitive at some points, but an important message was conveyed. Time is of the uttermost importance and you shall spend it with gentle care. The people that fill your life and whole are important and therefore you shall acknowledge them and love them. Otherwise, time will get them first.
