“Before the Coffee gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Japan)

Review

There were mixed feelings about this book, with most readers not really getting into the story at all and some enjoying it a lot. They found the first part a bit unconvincing, with a lot of repetitive passages which they felt slowed down the pace. But they agreed that the remaining three parts flowed better. Readers liked the descriptions of the café and the time travel theme. They liked the quirkiness of the place, and the habits of its staff and regular customers. Readers warmed particularly to the characters who were struggling with health issues, and were moved to tears on more than one occasion. However, others thought that there were too many descriptions of their physical appearances and their clothing. One reader was intrigued by Kazu and was left wanting to know more about her. Overall, most readers felt that the story was perfectly suited for the stage, but that it worked less well as a novel. It averaged a 7.1 out of 10.

Synopsis

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time… Read more

Nicola’s Book Club reading list

Season 22 – “Connection” (Dec 2021 – Apr 2022)
“Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night” by Jon Kalman Stefansson (Iceland) *
“Stay With Me” by Ayobami Adebayo (Nigeria)
“Before the Coffee gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Japan)
“Holiday Heart” by Margarita Garcia Robayo (Colombia)

* The book club favourite
In italics, Nicola’s Coup de Cœur