“Before We Say Goodbye” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Well, I’ve finished reading this. It’s the fourth novel in the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. The series revolves around a cafe` in Japan that allows you to go back in time, however, there are rules (listed below). Each book, including this one, has four chapters. Each chapter covers a different person and their own reason(s) for going back in time. I enjoyed this book but I have yet to figure out which book in the series is my favorite so far.
- When you go back to the past, you can only meet people who have visited the cafe`.
- No matter how hard you try, you cannot change the present.
- A ghost sits in the chair that takes you back to the past.
- When you go back to the past, you cannot get up or move from the chair.
- There is a time limit.
Synopsis: The regulars at Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with the whimsical ability it grants them to take a trip into the past—as well as the strict rules involved, including that each traveler must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to get cold. In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, patrons have been reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. Now readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors.
The Husband with Something Important Left to Say
The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell
The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal
The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away
In Last Chance to Say Goodbye, which is translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and features signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: What would you change if you could travel back in time?