“People’s hearts are forever changing. However firm one’s resolve might be, even the most trivial event can trigger doubt. And once a doubt has seen the light of day, it can be difficult to suppress, however hard one tries. It is as if a different version of oneself has suddenly emerged with opposite views from seconds earlier.”
I first discovered Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series a few years ago during a difficult time in my life. I was lost and searching for something to hold on to; to find connection in a world that seemed more disconnected than ever. Reading about this small, unassuming café in a back alley in Tokyo, which contains the power to reach beyond our timeline and heal, brought me a great sense of peace; in turn, it helped me to process my own grief. Ever since it’s been my go-to recommendation to others when they want a deeply touching emotional journey. And joining the bookshelf in my heart reserved for this series is Before We Forget Kindness.
For those unfamiliar with the café at the center of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, it goes a little something like this: Customers can travel to a time of their choosing, so long as they follow a strict set of rules, that begin when they are served a particular cup of coffee. They must sit in a specific seat—waiting for the ghost occupying it to vacate her spot (which she does once a day). They cannot leave that seat until their trip is over, and they can only meet with other customers who have visited the café. They also must return to the present before the coffee gets cold, giving them just a short amount of time to share their feelings. But perhaps the most important rule is that nothing they say or do will change the present.
With such a long and complicated list of rules, customers who were hoping to change the past give up and leave. But a few come to terms with the fact that they cannot change the past, or the future, and simply wish to visit loved ones—for a variety of personal reasons. And there are the café’s staff and regulars who help make that happen. This series tells their stories.
The latest novel, Before We Forget Kindness, contains four chapters. The first is about a son who wishes to visit his parents back when they were together; the second, a widow who wants her husband to meet their child; the third, a father and daughter wishing to resolve their disagreement about her elopement; the fourth, two friends with painful questions about their love for each other.
Stepping back into the Funiculi Funicula café feels like being welcomed home. By this point in the series, the staff and regulars feel like family; to new readers, they may seem quirky and at times standoffish but, with the layers Kawaguchi has built over the years, their simple acknowledgment of the rules provides a steady comfort to those going through the time travel process.
While the series often explores whether the process of traveling through time to visit loved ones benefits the visitor, Before We Forget Kindness highlights most of all how those visitors decide whether or not it benefits the person they want to visit. Will traveling back to the past bring them any pain? What is the real reason for going to the past or future? Does the reward outweigh the risk?
It’s easy to sink into the pages of each story, becoming attached to the new customers and holding their hand as they go through the emotional upheaval of visiting another time. Every chapter is carefully designed to pull gently on heartstrings, mixing melancholy and regret with hope and love. It beautifully illustrates the complexities of the human condition; how we must walk the line between what’s best for ourselves and those we love.
You’ll feel the ache of lost futures and the finality of being unable to change the outcome of fate. The writing is simple but heartbreakingly poignant, always wrapping up the revelations in new layers of life lessons. It’s as if Kawaguchi is pouring parts of his heart into the characters. Each story tackles a different form of regret or yearning, showing how even simple choices can have complicated outcomes. Through the different visitors, the novel explores new aspects of the café’s rules, testing their limits to add new twists and surprises.
Before We Forget Kindness is a moving addition to the Funiculi Funicula café universe, keeping your heart warm with tales of love persevering through time, even when it’s bittersweet. It’s ultimately comforting, wiping away your tears with profound observations that cut to the heart of each matter. Once again, this healing series sends you on your way with a wistful smile that stays with you long after the café closes for the night.
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
hits shelves on November 5.
Previous Novels in the Series:
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Tales from the Cafe
Before Your Memory Fades
Before We Say Goodbye
