Tales from the Cafe: A Novel (Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, 2)

In a Tokyo café, you can go back in time but you can’t change anything. I liked the premise of this novel and the first story was intriguing. The other tales in the book didn’t grab my interest.

I received this for an honest review. This book is so interesting and good I can’t put it down. I haven’t finished it yet but will shortly. The book is about sitting in a chair while drinking coffee and seeing people from the past that have passed away. It is about basically going back in time.

This was an interesting book, to say the least. The concept was intriguing, the initial story drew me in quickly. I immediately saw the need to go back into the past, despite the reality of not being able to change things (not a spoiler...it's part of the rules discussed in the book). I enjoyed the heartfelt emotion of why the characters needed to go back. I believe a native speaker will get more out of the stories than I did, but I enjoyed them. Be advised, however, that you will be looking at the characters through an omniscient narrator's lens. It took a while to get used to the head-hopping, but once I got settled, I enjoyed knowing what everyone was thinking.

This title follows upon the highly regarded, Before the coffee gets cold. Once again, the author spins a world that comes vividly to life. There is a bit of sci fi or magical realism within, call it what you will. The tales take place in a very special cafe. A customer can go back in time so long as they are ready to return to their world before the coffee gets cold. This title follows four such patrons of the cafe. Each of these customers will come back changed. This book is a treat. Those who enjoyed The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World are most likely to enjoy this title as well. It is a short book at 145 pages but also one to savor. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this follow-up novel to Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Let me take a moment here to recommend that you read that before starting this book--you'll likely still enjoy Tales from the Café, but you might understand just a bit more. Funiculi Funicula is a café where locals say you can visit to travel back in time. With several of my favorite characters from Before the Coffee Gets Cold, there is more to this back alley café than just their coffee. I loved the visitors and the stories that were told. There were several moments that made me tear up because I loved the way that Toshikazu Kawaguchi viewed the situation. One particular story that regards loss really touched my heart. This was a quick and fun read and I highly recommend adding it to the top of your read list. I'm so glad to have added this to my list this year!