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213
Novel • Fiction
Tokyo, Japan • Contemporary
2015
Adult
18+ years
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi explores a small, time-traveling café called Funiculi Funicula, where patrons who sit in a specific chair and drink a special coffee can travel back in time, but must return before the coffee gets cold. Through interlinked stories such as "The Lovers," "Husband and Wife," "The Sisters," and "Mother and Child," the novel delves into themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Melancholic
Bittersweet
Contemplative
Nostalgic
Serene
41,846 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold offers a heartwarming, whimsical tale about time travel, enriched by Geoffrey Trousselot's translation. Praised for its emotional depth and unique premise, it sometimes suffers from repetitive elements and less developed characters. Overall, it remains a comforting, reflective read that many will enjoy.
Readers who enjoy heartwarming, introspective narratives with a touch of magical realism, akin to The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger or Midnight Library by Matt Haig, will find solace and intrigue in Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot.
41,846 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Nagare Tokita
The café's manager and chef, Kazu’s cousin, with a reserved and intimidating presence, who focuses on supporting his family and the café visitors, although he has limited involvement in the time travel rituals.
Kei Tokita
A bold and playful staff member at the café, married to Nagare, whose warm presence and acceptance of life’s transience provides comfort to guests.
Fumiko Kiyokawa
A newcomer to the café and time travel, a successful businesswoman who uses her visit to the café to navigate personal challenges and learn about the constraints of time travel.
Goro Katada
Fumiko's younger boyfriend, a systems engineer with insecurities about his appearance, whose relationship with Fumiko involves navigating societal pressures and personal growth.
Fusagi
A regular at the café, a dull-looking man afflicted with Alzheimer's, whose deep connection with his wife is explored through time travel, despite his inability to travel himself.
Kohtake
Fusagi’s wife and a nurse, who navigates her husband’s illness and strengthens her understanding of their relationship through her experiences at the café.
Yaeko Hirai
A bold and irreverent regular at the café, she manages a snack bar and grapples with family issues, showing a distinct free-spirited style in contrast to conventional expectations.
Kumi Hirai
Hirai's sweet and community-minded younger sister, who runs the family inn and remains hopeful of reconnecting with Hirai despite their estrangement.
Miki Tokita
The 15-year-old daughter of Kei and Nagare, who enters the café from the future, marked by her advanced technology and connection to the café’s time travel tradition.
213
Novel • Fiction
Tokyo, Japan • Contemporary
2015
Adult
18+ years
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