BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The first in the iconic Japanese series

You know when people rave about a book and you read the back and think, “hmmm not sure that’s for me.” Then, after hearing what feels like the millionth person gush, you cave? That’s the story of me and the Toshikazu Kawaguchi bestselling book Before The Coffee Gets Cold.

I was shopping in Readings in Melbourne with a close friend and got talking to another customer, who was the one who finally convinced me I needed to read this book. I bought it, and started reading - and quickly realised that it is, indeed, a wonderful story.

The novel is essentially four short stories set in the same cafe in Tokyo, with the same key characters in each. Nagare, Kei and Kazu work at the cafe.

There is a special seat in the cafe which, if sat in, can transport the person back in time, to that exact seat in the cafe at their chosen time. There are any rules about how this can all work - you cannot leave the seat, you can only meet someone who has been to the cafe before, and nothing will change the future. Most importantly, you’re only in the past until the coffee goes cold, before returning to the present.

This novel is truly wonderful - the stories are beautifully told and really linger - whether the woman returning to her lover, the woman returning to see her sister, or the couple wishing to meet their daughter.

I have to confess, I stopped after the second story, because I saw the title of the third section, “The Sisters” and knew I couldn’t dive in. I have recently lost my own sister and knew the story would hit a little too close to home. I waited until this week (three weeks since my sister died) to go back in and I was able to read the story without too many extra tears and read it for its beauty, rather than through the lens of my own searing grief.

I loved this book so much I went and purchased the three follow up books in the series, and I cannot wait to return to Finaculi Finacula, the cafe where this magic happens. If you haven’t read this novel, I commend it to you. It is wonderfully translated and the characters sit so comfortably within the pages - it makes you wish it was a real place.

Don’t wait until the coffee gets cold to pick this one up. It’s beautiful.