Before the Coffee Gets Cold

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Before the Coffee Gets Cold (コーヒーが冷めないうちに, Kohi ga Samenai Uchi ni) is a 2015 novel by  [ja]. It tells of a café in Tokyo that allows its customers to travel back in time, as long as they return before their coffee gets cold.[1][2][3]

Summary[]

In a narrow back alley in Tokyo lies a café called Funiculi Funicula. In the café, customers have the opportunity to travel back to a time of their choosing, as long as they follow a long list of rules. There is only one seat in the café that allows time travel; the seat is only available when the ghost that usually occupies it goes for a toilet break; once back in time, customers can't leave the seat; the only people in the past who can be met are people who have visited the café; whatever happens in the past, the present won't change; and, most importantly, the customer has to return to the present before their cup of coffee goes cold.

The novel follows the stories of the café staff, notably barista Kazu, and four different customers. The first, a businesswoman named Fumiko, tries to repair her relationship with her boyfriend after he left the country for a job in the United States. The second, a nurse named Kohtake, tries to find a letter her Alzheimer-stricken husband wrote. The third, a bar owner named Hirai, tries to talk to her sister whom she's been avoiding. The fourth, one of the café co-owners named Kei, tries to go to the future to talk to her unborn daughter.[4][5]

History[]

The story originally began as a play, before being adapted into a novel in 2015.[6] The novel was then translated into English by . In 2017, a sequel was released: .

In 2018, the novel was adapted into the film Cafe Funiculi Funicula, starring Kasumi Arimura.[7][8]

In October 2021, it was announced that SK Global and The Jackal Group to develop, finance and produce a television series adaptation of the novel.[9]

Reception[]

Terry Hong of The Christian Science Monitor stated that the "narrative is occasionally uneven and tends to meander" but that the author "has a surprising, unerring ability to find lasting emotional resonance."[10] Ian J. Battaglia of the Chicago Review of Books wrote that "despite the occasional clumsiness, the narrative is deeply moving" and that the "characters are the real stars here, and their empathy for one another is powerful."[11] Courtney Rodgers of Book Riot compared the book to American comedy series Pushing Daisies, stating that the "charming short novel asks questions about time and how we choose to spend it."[12]

Joseph P. Kelly of The Harvard Crimson gave the book five stars.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ "Treat Your Shelf: Before the Coffee gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi". The Gryphon. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  2. ^ "Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold". The Mancunion. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  3. ^ "『コーヒーが冷めないうちに』本屋大賞にノミネート記念！営業と編集の奮闘記。 | 編集ブログ | サンマーク出版". sunmark.co.jp. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  4. ^ Natasha, Inc. "「ラフカット」今年は宮藤官九郎・矢島弘一・川口俊和・堤泰之の短編4本 - ステージナタリー". natalie.mu. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  5. ^ "『コーヒーが冷めないうちに』の続編『この嘘がばれないうちに』は、不器用で優しい「嘘」の物語 | ほんのひきだし". hon-hikidashi.jp. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  6. ^ "www.bookreporter.com/reviews/before-the-coffee-gets-cold". bookreporter.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  7. ^ "有村架純の涙の意味は…「コーヒーが冷めないうちに」特報完成" (in Japanese). 映画.com. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  8. ^ James Hadfield. "'Cafe Funiculi Funicula': Extra spoonfuls of sentimentality make this flick hard to swallow". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 26, 2021). "SK Global Acquires Toshikazu Kawaguchi's 'Before The Coffee Gets Cold' For Series Development With Jackal Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' review: A chance to redo the past". CSMonitor.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  11. ^ "Working Within Limits in "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" – Chicago Review of Books". chireviewofbooks.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  12. ^ "9 Books That Feel Like Pushing Daisies". Book Riot. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  13. ^ Kelly, Joseph P. (2020-12-29). ""Before the coffee gets cold" Explores The Interiority of Time Travel". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2021-11-27.

External links[]

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