Before the Coffee Gets Cold

A café in a Tokyo back lane lets guests visit the past. It has served coffee for over a century. Four visitors come there in search of people from their lives. One wants to face the man who walked away. Another seeks a letter from her husband, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s and has lost his memory. A third hopes for a final meeting with her sister. The fourth wants to meet a daughter she never knew.

Time travel comes with strict rules. Guests must use one set seat and stay inside the café. They must also get back while their coffee is still warm.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel blends time travel with stories of loss and close bonds. It suits readers drawn to questions about the past and whom they might meet again. The story asks what people would change if given that chance. Geoffrey Trousselot translated the book from Japanese.