Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
Genre: Time Travel Fiction & Magical Realism

Written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' is a fictional novel that
focuses on a rather emotionally realistic depiction of the well-known motif of time travel.
The story itself is relatively short, with a succinct and simplistic writing style. Though this
feature may not align with everyone's preferences, I found it to be oddly refreshing and
satisfying. Toshikazu Kawaguchi keeps his audience engaged and the plot's tension
high without making the book a difficult read.

The novel takes place in a small café in Tokyo, wherein customers find themselves
given the opportunity to travel across time, to any point they wish to revisit or witness —
but with a catch, they must return in time before their coffee gets cold. It puts a unique
spin on a classic sci-fi plot trope and was one of the main reasons why I chose to read
it.

As you progress through the book, you are met with four separate characters and their
unique experiences with time travel. Each character is faced with a problem, which they
believe can be resolved through the process of time travel. Though most of the time,
they are proven otherwise.

The book is split into four sections; each section is a short narrative detailing their
journey through themes such as joy, heartbreak, acceptance, and hope. While the novel
does contain a multitude of sci-fi or magical elements, I believe it would be better
classified as literary fiction. It centres itself around the deeply human experiences of
living and navigating interpersonal relationships, whether those be platonic, familial, or
romantic.

At first glance, the book may seem plain, but once you notice the messages conveyed
through each short story, it becomes oddly charming and touching. It has made me
reflect on the personal relationships in my own life, especially seeing so many of those
typical connections depicted throughout the novel. 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' also
solidifies the perspective of the past as an unchangeable entity while offering comfort in
the idea that the future remains full of possibilities. A pragmatic concept that significantly
affects the way the protagonists interact with the hurdles they encounter.

If I could read this book again for the first time, I would take the time to savour each
story individually, appreciating each character's struggles, moments of reprieve, and the
comfort they find. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a quick, heartwarming,
sentimental yet beautifully melancholic read.

Review by Iman Khalid Sal Qureshi