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In a back alley in Tokyo is a small café. What's so special about it? More than its coffee, which is carefully brewed and is one of a kind, the café is famous for offering an unique experience- a chance to travel back in time. But because of somewhat annoying and complicated rules, not everyone dares to take the chance to visit the past. One rule being you can't change the present no matter what. Then, what's the point of even visiting in the past? That's the question for which we often seek answer. Sometimes, even though we can't change the matrix of events, it is watching the situation from a different perspective that helps to deliver that answer.
That's what the four people, who went to past in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, tries to discover. A woman who wants to get some answers from her ex-boyfriend, a woman who travel back to get a letter from her husband whose memory is fading away due to early onset Alzheimer's, a sister went back to meet her younger sister one last time, and a mother who goes back to meet the daughter (in future) she never got the chance to know. All these stories have one thing in common- exploration of human relationships and love. Though the stories are predictable and nothing extraordinary, it is the subtle yet thought-provoking introspection of human emotions that make this book a worthy and touching read.
The three café workers, Kazu, Kei and Nagare, were like cherry on the top who shared an amazing relationship with their customers. They understood why each person travelling back in time needs to do that, and take extra care when the person travelling back is going to meet a dead person.
This character-driven story is Japanese to its core. The descriptions of various seasons or the birds and food, was done perfectly to suit the stories of each character. The translation might feel repetitive at places, but that might be because this was first written as a play!
A simple, comforting and hopeful, yet an emotional read that shouldn't be missed.
That's what the four people, who went to past in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, tries to discover. A woman who wants to get some answers from her ex-boyfriend, a woman who travel back to get a letter from her husband whose memory is fading away due to early onset Alzheimer's, a sister went back to meet her younger sister one last time, and a mother who goes back to meet the daughter (in future) she never got the chance to know. All these stories have one thing in common- exploration of human relationships and love. Though the stories are predictable and nothing extraordinary, it is the subtle yet thought-provoking introspection of human emotions that make this book a worthy and touching read.
The three café workers, Kazu, Kei and Nagare, were like cherry on the top who shared an amazing relationship with their customers. They understood why each person travelling back in time needs to do that, and take extra care when the person travelling back is going to meet a dead person.
This character-driven story is Japanese to its core. The descriptions of various seasons or the birds and food, was done perfectly to suit the stories of each character. The translation might feel repetitive at places, but that might be because this was first written as a play!
A simple, comforting and hopeful, yet an emotional read that shouldn't be missed.
We revisit the cafe Funiculi Funicula- the one that offers the unique experience of going back (or forward) in time. We meet some similar faces and some new, each trying to get their closure.
A man going back to meet his dead friend, a son trying to reconcile with her dead mother, a dying man going to the future to meet the girl he wanted to marry, and an old detective going back in time to give a birthday present to his wife. And besides these tales, we have another story going on in parallel- the story of Kazu, the cafe staff member who pours the coffee to the time-travelling customers, and the story of the ghost that is always sitting in the cafe.
The emotions in this sequel are more profound than the first book, if I may say so. The emotions these different yet interconnected stories bring are even more raw and poignant.
In the end what these stories deliver is the importance of unspoken words, the need to express our feelings- because more often than not, these unspoken words and unresolved feelings create the turmoil in the relationships and life in general.
The stories in Before the Coffee Gets Cold are like warm tea- it gives you satisfaction and some comfort by the time you finish it. And definitely I would like to experience more of such comfort from the cafe Funiculi Funicula! ❤️
Definitely recommend this series as a comfort read (though you might shed some tears).
A man going back to meet his dead friend, a son trying to reconcile with her dead mother, a dying man going to the future to meet the girl he wanted to marry, and an old detective going back in time to give a birthday present to his wife. And besides these tales, we have another story going on in parallel- the story of Kazu, the cafe staff member who pours the coffee to the time-travelling customers, and the story of the ghost that is always sitting in the cafe.
The emotions in this sequel are more profound than the first book, if I may say so. The emotions these different yet interconnected stories bring are even more raw and poignant.
In the end what these stories deliver is the importance of unspoken words, the need to express our feelings- because more often than not, these unspoken words and unresolved feelings create the turmoil in the relationships and life in general.
The stories in Before the Coffee Gets Cold are like warm tea- it gives you satisfaction and some comfort by the time you finish it. And definitely I would like to experience more of such comfort from the cafe Funiculi Funicula! ❤️
Definitely recommend this series as a comfort read (though you might shed some tears).
