During our trip to Denver, Colorado, I had the opportunity to stop by a bookstore on Pearl Street where I came across this book:
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi had been a recommendation on my to-read list for quite a while. And quite honestly, I had forgotten about it until I came across the physical copy at the store. I immediately picked it off the shelf: it felt like a sign that I needed to get it. I began searching for a price tag, I turned the book over and my eyes settled on the $19.99 price. In disbelief that an itty-bitty ~200 page hardcover book could be so expensive, I ultimately opted to purchase the $11 Amazon hardcover version, which with Prime, would be sitting on my front door porch the day I got back home. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting.
This novel is a collection of four short stories that are all intertwined with each other in the same world setting, and with a consistent cast of background characters. As the title suggests, patrons of a particular coffee shop can sit on a particular seat to travel through time to a particular moment at the cafe for the duration of time before the coffee gets cold, having to return to the present. Although the rules of time travel are explicit throughout the novel, the logistics and rules are not the focus of the story. Instead, the author uses this peculiar cafe, background characters, and each chapter to engage the reader in emotionally resonating (and sometimes emotionally retching) stories between loved ones. Some relationships are more relatable than others, but it is almost a guarantee that you will finish this book with a new perspective and wondering what you would do if you were the patron sitting in the seat that can transport you through time. If you’re looking for a new and easy read, definitely give this book a chance!
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