Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Published: September 19, 2024 by Picador
Format: Hardcover, Audio 224 pages
Genre: Magical Realism
Series: Before the Coffee Gets Cold #5
Blurb:
- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .
They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.
My Opinion: The reader arrives at Funiculi Funicula, a cozy Tokyo café where time travel is possible. That is if you follow the rules. With the right seat, the right cup of coffee, and a willingness to revisit the past, patrons get a brief chance to reconnect with lost moments and lingering regrets.
I started reading the book but eventually switched to the audiobook. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because it fit better as enjoyable background listening, with a few moments that made me stop and think. The premise is intriguing, and the themes of reflection and closure are heartfelt, with straightforward storytelling. I kept waiting for a deeper connection, though it never quite landed.
I had no idea this was part of a series when I picked it up. It was one of those casual “You might like this” recommendations, and I jumped in without checking. Reading the books in order might provide better context. That said, I never felt lost. Before We Forget Kindness is the fifth book in the series, but the individual stories felt self-contained enough that I didn’t struggle with missing details.
Overall, the book has a gentle, reflective tone, and while it didn’t fully draw me in, it wasn’t forgettable either. It lingers quietly, like a memory you’re not sure what to do with, but one that’s still worth sitting with until the coffee gets cold.
- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .
They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.
My Opinion: The reader arrives at Funiculi Funicula, a cozy Tokyo café where time travel is possible. That is if you follow the rules. With the right seat, the right cup of coffee, and a willingness to revisit the past, patrons get a brief chance to reconnect with lost moments and lingering regrets.
I started reading the book but eventually switched to the audiobook. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because it fit better as enjoyable background listening, with a few moments that made me stop and think. The premise is intriguing, and the themes of reflection and closure are heartfelt, with straightforward storytelling. I kept waiting for a deeper connection, though it never quite landed.
I had no idea this was part of a series when I picked it up. It was one of those casual “You might like this” recommendations, and I jumped in without checking. Reading the books in order might provide better context. That said, I never felt lost. Before We Forget Kindness is the fifth book in the series, but the individual stories felt self-contained enough that I didn’t struggle with missing details.
Overall, the book has a gentle, reflective tone, and while it didn’t fully draw me in, it wasn’t forgettable either. It lingers quietly, like a memory you’re not sure what to do with, but one that’s still worth sitting with until the coffee gets cold.
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