When I started reading Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the element of magical realism kept me hooked. I wanted to understand its significance—its origin, its purpose, the whys and the hows behind it. But once I finished reading, I did not get direct answers to my curiosity. Instead, it gently revealed what that magical element was trying to say all along. And somehow, that quiet realisation was enough for me to hold the story close to my heart forever.
Set in a tiny, dim café tucked inside a back alley of Tokyo, this novel blends magical realism with human longing. The café offers a strange possibility: you can travel back in time—but only under a strict set of rules, the most important being that you must return before your coffee gets cold. Another rule stated that the present cannot be changed, and this rule discouraged people from trying it, and some even called it a hoax. But there are a few people, mostly the regulars of the café, who did try to go back to the past. Not for adventure, but for closure, longing, or unfinished tasks. For one last conversation. For the words that remained stuck in the throat.
The novel follows four interconnected stories, each exploring a different shade of human emotion—love, grief, guilt, and the weight of choices. What makes these stories special is not the time travel itself, but the people who carry their aching hearts into those moments. The narration is not rushed; It unfolds gently, giving space to silences, hesitation, and the fragile courage needed to confront one’s own past.
The writing is simple, but beneath that simplicity lies a tenderness of human actions and emotions. You will find yourself pausing, reflecting on the conversations you wish you had, the people you miss, and the moments you wish you could return to—not to change them, but to understand them better.
If you enjoy introspective books that make you hold your breath between sentences, this one is for you. It reminds you that time is always moving, but emotions don’t follow the same rules.
The line towards the end left a deep mark on my heart and probably satisfied my curiosity as well:
“No matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”
Before the Coffee Gets Cold leaves you with a quiet truth:
Sometimes, the past doesn’t need to change. We just need to revisit it—to return lighter, warmer, and a little more whole.
PS: This post is part of #ReadingWithMuffy 2025 hosted by Shalini.
Cerebration 