Before the Coffee Gets Cold
In a small alley in Tokyo, there is a café which offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. Four visitors hope to make use of the café in different ways. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story – translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot – explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
NHS Staff Recommendation
“Brilliantly bonkers book about a Japanese café where you can travel back in time, beautiful story!” – NHS Intensive Care Team
Reader Reviews
Anonymous
08 September 2023
Translated fiction. Such interesting vocab choices-wonderful for lit in translation discussions for IB!
Anonymous
05 August 2021
A beautifully written treasure of a book which touches your soul. It combines the tantalising prospect of time travel with some very clever and moving twists. I was hooked from start to finish and felt myself becoming intertwined with the characters who thread through the four linked chapters. I could picture myself with them in the little basement cafe at every turn – holding my breath with them, hoping with them, marvelling at their courage and celebrating their awakenings. Stunning!!