Book Review : Before We Say Goodbye
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is translated from Japanese to English by Geoffrey Trousellot. It is the fourth book in the series "Before The Coffee Gets Cold," following the lead of its unique melancholic atmosphere with introduction of new characters.
Book Blurb On Amazon
The million-copy bestselling series
Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s poignant Before we say goodbye, translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
The regulars at the magical Cafe Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary, secret menu time travel offering. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged families, and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks and there are rules to follow. Travelers must have visited the cafe previously and most importantly, must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to go cold.
In the tradition of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sensational 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' series, 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 the hauntingly beautiful Before we say goodbye, Kawaguchi invites us to join his characters as they embark on a journey to revisit one crucial moment in time.
Review
This compelling novel delves into emotions of resentment, the struggle to find joy in regretting losing someone, considering it their mistake, and the hope for rescue. It follows the series' familiar style. However, the new characters in this book and their reasons for traveling through time will allow readers to explore distinct struggles and realizations.
The plot of the story is well-maintained, similar to the first book with a difference of the setting and introducing a new family member to the family, the main characters of the story i.e. cafe owner and his cousin. In this book also, there are four chapters with the distinct stories of other characters who choose to travel back in time. Readers will find comfort while reading to connect with the tales explored in this book, chapter by chapter.
The character development is skillful, and there is a chart representation of the characters and how they connect at the beginning of the book, like in other books. In this book, the number of characters is minimal. But, to understand them, the readers require to keep track of them to connect the dots of the events and incidents. Readers will resonate with the distinct people portrayed in this book, as they are humorous, witty, happier, and sad (the common thing in books of the series). The author did not miss to picture them with detailed descriptions and accounts of their existence.
This book tells the story of a husband who traveled through time to say something important to her dead wife. The second story is about a woman who blamed herself for her dog’s death and traveled through time to bid farewell to it realizing she was not responsible. Instead, it was her dog’s habit to sleep after she had slept. So, it waited till she slept that night before sleeping forever. It appears intriguing to know that in the third story, the person meeting in the past already knew that his girlfriend would meet him there coming from the future. He told her, "I've been waiting for you to come from the future." And the final story will make readers cry knowing how we often try to get away from our parents, only to realize later how wrong we had been.
Highlights in the book:
It appears fast-paced if compared with the other three in the series.
After reading till the third, readers will notice that this book is not following the series. Instead, it should come after the first book, as the story continues with Kazu serving coffee, the lady who lost her power to serve coffee in the second book of the series.
It explores new characters with new struggles, leading them to live a happy life after traveling through time.
Readers will love the series “Before the Coffee Gets Cold.” And this book will allow them to explore the depth of emotions and thoughts that can affect a person after losing a loved one whom he did not notice earlier.
I bet you will love this series, try and read it. I would love to discuss the stories in these books of the series, “Before The Coffee Gets Cold.”
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