Book Review : Before We Forget Kindness
Book Name: Before We Forget Kindness
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Publisher: Panmacmillan
Genre: Time Travel
Format: Paperback
Print length: 203 pages
Rating: 3.5/5
Before we forget kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is translated from Japanese to English by Geoffrey Trousselot. It is the fifth book in the series “Before the Coffee Gets Cold,” following the lead of its unique melancholic atmosphere with introduction of new characters and another cafe that helps people travel through time similar to the one with which the series started. In this book, the pattern remains the same as other books in the series. There are four stories where people travel through time either in the past or future to meet a loved one.
Blurb on Amazon
In the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests: - 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. In another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on to their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.
Review
It is a moving novel that explores the themes of guilt, resentment, losing happiness with the loss of a loved one, smiling through loved ones happiness, offering rights, queer love story and the common theme being longing. Although it follows a similar pattern as the previous books in the series (after all it’s a series), this book brings forth something different. Two new rules were introduced which readers did not get to know in previous books of the series.
The plot went through a rollercoaster of emotions, from despair to delight to humor in a loop, experiencing the full spectrum of feelings. The four chapters in this book are a mix of past and future time travel, where readers will explore the timings and events of people traveling through time that were already decided and the settings were arranged in a manner to make it successful for the people to meet at that time.
In this book, the character development is apt, and there is a chart representation of the characters and how they connect at the beginning of the book like others. With each book in the series, the character count increases, and readers have to keep track of them to connect the dots of the events and incidents. Readers will enjoy the distinct people portrayed in this book, as they are humorous, witty, happier, and sad (the common thing in books of the series). The two characters Fumiko, and Hirai, followed from the first book played an important role in this book guiding and motivating people who wished to travel through time.
Readers will love the character Yuki (a son who chose his parents happiness above his) and may have some soft-corner for the post-marriage condition of Yoko. Readers will explore the stories of a son who traveled in the past to undo his reaction on his parents decision but could not control his emotions, second the woman who traveled with her newborn (yes, it was one thing that was introduced in this book) to meet her husband, the father daughter who traveled through time in past and future due to some mishappening (you will get to know in story) and the last one was the one-sided queer love story.
Readers will fall in love with this book because of the complexities of human emotions explored. They will connect themselves with the characters and the setting of the circumstances. One more thing that appeared different from other books in the series was the writing style of the author. In the book, the stories dealt with more of the details of the characters' story rather than the time spent in the past or future. It can feel like that much detail was not required, yet the stories were quick read.
This book will let readers understand the raw emotions and longing for someone. It will allow them to introspect their lives and the role of their loved ones in their lives. Those who have loved the coffee series, must give it a try.
Buy it from Amazon - Before We Forget Kindness
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