Before the Coffee gets Cold is a poignant tale that delves into existentialism, empiricism, and other philosophical ‘isms’. This novel is based on a play of the same name by Toshigazu Kawaguchi and was adapted into a Japanese movie called “Cafe Funiculi Funicula” in 2018.

Author: Toshigazu Kawaguchi Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselor Language: English (Translated from Japanese) No. of Pages: 213 Format: Audiobook Genre: Sci-Fi (Time Travel)

Set in a 100-year-old cafe, Before the Coffee gets Cold not only serves coffee but also allows people to travel back in time. However, there are a lot of conditions that come with time travel, one of which is that “whatever happens in the past won’t change the present.” In this novel, we meet four different people who travel back in time, and how it changes their lives forms the touching tale of this novel. If you want to know why they traveled and what happened there, give this book a read.

Why does time travel movies and books exist? Why do people want to travel back or forward in time? Perhaps they want to find or change something that occurred, or they want to know certain things. There have been numerous books, movies, and TV shows based on this topic, but writers always find something interesting to explore.

The cafe in this novel allows people to travel back in time, but with certain conditions: there is a designated seat, the time traveler cannot leave the cafe, and most importantly, whatever happens in the past won’t affect the future. So what is the purpose of time travel? We see four different people who travel back/forward in time, and each one becomes something more than they were before. They gain a different perspective, understand love, learn some real reasons, and most importantly, become better versions of themselves. This is what makes this novel heartwarming. I don’t want to reveal too much, as it might spoil your reading experience, but I highly recommend this book.

Before the Coffee gets Cold is the first book in a trilogy, and I’m eager to read the other two books. If you are someone who prefers a cozy read on a rainy day or on a holiday, this book will be perfect for you to pick up.

P.S.: If you cry at several portions of this book, please don’t blame me! ???? ????