Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Kohtake, though, liked her coffee hot, even in summer. She liked the aroma of it when it was freshly brewed. She couldn’t enjoy iced coffee in the same way. Coffee was far more pleasurable when it was hot.

Sitting in a particular chair in a particular cafe, you can travel back in time, but while you are there you can not do anything to change the present. And whatever happens, you must return before your coffee gets cold.

So many interesting thought trails to follow from the set up in this little story. The story itself, I wished for more. Or less, perhaps. Too much flat out telling. Not enough showing. I held my breath in a couple points where I thought the story might take a complex turn….but didn’t. I’m not well read in books that have been translated and can’t say how the fact that this was translated from its original Japanese may have impacted my experience. Also, the author is a playwright, and this was his first novel. That probably has impact too. I listened to this book and the reader, Arina Ii, was super! The story concept is intriguing. I’m glad to have read it.