Time's Bitter Brew: Reflections on 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Author), Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)

There is one thing that Before The Coffee Gets Cold can teach readers: no matter the language, love and lust transcend words. The novel is 213 pages of beautiful storytelling and philosophical metaphors. The book is about four characters who visit a small back-alley cafe in Japan that is rumored to allow its customers to travel back in time. The visitors are hoping to make use of the cafe’s time-traveling powers to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know. The venture into the past, or future, has certain rules. One rule is that to travel, they must sit in a certain seat, and they must return by the time the coffee gets cold.

Even though the synopsis sounds like a science fiction and fantasy collison. It is a lot more contemporary. The themes amongst the four visitors range from acceptance/regret, the importance of human connections, the power of time and memory, and the power of emotional resolution. The characters are well developed, and once you read about the characters, you wonder if they will get the things that they yearn for. The story doesn’t lie in the time travel; rather, the emotional journey takes center stage. 

Kawaguchi’s writing is very gentle as these stories breeze across the page. He manages to interconnect these stories seamlessly. However, I am unsure if this is due to the translation; there were times when revealed details kept getting repeated because of that the pacing of the book slowed down. However, the book was nice and a smooth meditation. The previous books that I have read this year were action packed and so this novel allowed me to have that break.

The novel was meant to be savored like a warm cup of coffee on a chilly day in which it allows the wisdom to seep into the soul. The novel is a quick read that I recommend as a reminder to enjoy the time now before you regret it later. It’s a quiet, profound, and deeply moving experience that lingers even after the page turn. 

My rating: ⅘  stars.