Title: Tales from the cafe: Before the coffee gets cold

Author: Tochikazu Kawaguchi

Verlag: Pan MacMillan

Personal age recommendation: from 16 years

ISBN: 978-1-5290-5086-8

Publication year: 2020

Content: Imagine revisiting a moment in your past. Which one would it be and at what cost would you dare to do it? A small, unassuming café in Tokyo offers that exact service, traveling back in time to confront unfinished emotional business, but under strict rules: you must return before the coffee gets cold and nothing you do can change the present. An old man who wants to visit his best friend for the last time after not being able to live with his regrets, a son who visits his late mother, a woman who discovers the truth behind er husbands decision of leaving her, and a young woman who revisits a painful meeting with her estranged father – all of them seek closure and understanding in their journey to the past.

Opinion: Written in a heartfelt, not too complicated style the book really invited me to reflect on topics such as grief, love and memory. Even though the characters weren`t able to change mistakes or happenings in the past, the short escapade did change the way they carried their guilt or grief afterwards. That message changed my view on certain things and even though it was sad most of the time, I always had this heartwarming feeling while reading the novel. It doesn`t rely on dramatic events or unexpected plots and still I was captivated by the beautiful melancholy and its delicacy.

Conclusion: I really appreciate the books gentle reminder that we can`t change the past, only how we live with it. It is more of a quiet read that focues less on changing events and more on emotional healing. Overall it was a beautiful experience that left me grateful, and I still think about this book a lot.

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐️⭐️