An achingly simple and beautiful read sitting within the genre of magical realism and exploring the magic of what it is to be human. Four separate stories can be found within the same Japanese cafe where time travel to one spot in the past is possible. This links to Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. The translation by Geoffrey Trousselot is eloquently done, I had no doubt as to where I was and felt entirely at home within the words. A portal exists, and yet it comes with strict rules, which confines the tales to the one location. The sense of place settled like a second skin, life focused on the cafe and those within. Each of the four stories has the same underscore and yet is entirely different and I loved exploring the depths of feeling of each person. Joining our LoveReading Star Books, I have also chosen it as a Liz Pick of the Month. Before We Say Goodbye is a gentle and compassionate investigation yet a sense of foreboding and a little heartbreak hovers within each story, it is beautifully done.
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 family, and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks and there are rules to follow. Travellers 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.
