Description
If the story wasn’t already evocative of warmth, the Japanese novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, strikes a gentle and profound tale, utilizing a little, odd cafe in Tokyo that is connected with time travel. Not only is this story set at Funiculi Funicula, but even within its walls lives another uniqueness: patrons can travel back in time, but only for so long as their coffee will remain hot, and they’ll have to return before it gets cold.
The novel consists of four interconnected stories. The characters, in this case, go to the café with the hope of reliving a particular moment of their life. However, there exist some rules that define time traveling in the café. Some of these rules include:
You cannot change the present: Whatever may have happened during the time traveling, the present remains the same.
You can go back to meet the people you met in the café: Do not travel back to meet someone outside of the café.
Return before the coffee gets cold : The traveler must finish his or her coffee before it cools down, or he or she risks never coming back.
The plot revolves around:
A woman wants to reconnect with her ex-boyfriend before he departs for the United States.
A nurse visiting her husband, who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s so she will have that last meaningful conversation.
A mother to visit her child, even after a tragic loss.
Two sisters trying to mend their worn relationship before it is too late.
Each of them begins their journey seeking some form of closure, forgiveness, and peace despite knowing that their destiny cannot be modified. As the story unfolds, it reveals even deeper themes such as love, loss, regret, and the passage of time but also raises more questions in understanding human relationships in terms of emotions.
“Before the Coffee Gets Cold” is roughly a meditation on the power of memory, human connection, and the importance of cherishing the moments we have. Its magical realism and tender emotional core offer both a whimsical and deep reflection to readers.
Would you like more insight into the characters, themes, or the magical elements of the story?BEFORE
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