Tales from the Cafe

Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi is no stranger to writing as this is the second in a series of three books published during a career of writing and producing for a theater company. Originally written as a play, Tales from the Cafe was adapted into a novel after its success. Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan and is currently 51 years old.

Learn more about the author below:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16836980.Toshikazu_Kawaguchi

Three words to describe this read:

Repetitive- Since the story was originally written in Japanese and translated into English, it doesn’t flow as smoothly as a story would if it were written and printed in its original language. There are several instances throughout the story when the same idea is repeated. While I’m sure the phrases are not so repetitive when the story is printed in Japanese, the English translation makes it seem a little clunky. Luckily, this does make it easier to track the story as it does involve time travel which can complicate the timeline.

Sweet- The story follows different people who come to the cafe looking to return to the past or visit the future for ultimately the same reason; to see someone they love. While the circumstances always change, the whole idea of the book is very wholesome and sweet.

Easy- While there are a lot of pages in the book, the font is so large that you can easily breeze through 50+ pages without thinking twice. Anyone looking for a quick and easy yet heartfelt read should consider this and the other two books in the series, Before the Coffee gets Cold and Before Your Memory Fades.

Quote:

“When spring begins, however, cannot be pinpointed to one particular moment. There is no one day that clearly marks when winter ends and spring begins. Spring hides inside winter. We notice it emerging with our eyes, our skin and other senses. We find it in new buds, a comfortable breeze and the warmth of the sun. It exists alongside winter.”

Sadly, I'm already in the mood for spring even though the real Chicago winter weather has just started to settle in over the city. While I must argue that technically March 21st is the first day of spring each year, I fully understand the sentiment of this quote. Spring comes slowly and I love recognizing the early signs of the season. I believe that few things are more joyous than feeling the spring sun rays warm your face and sensing the earth come back to life after the winter.