Before The Coffee Gets Cold

 A light, warm and quick read. Perfect for reading when laying in the sun! I read Before The Coffee Gets Cold in one sitting whilst enjoying the glorious sun in the back garden. The book itself is interestingly created from a play by Toshikazu Kawaguichi who is both an author and playwright in Japan. The novel is about a little cafe in Japan however it is not a normal cafe. There is one particular seat in the cafe which allows you to go back to the past or even into in the future. There are four different chapters in the book with different stories, within this blog post I am going to tell you my thoughts on each of these. 

Firstly there was The Lovers.

 Fumiko is determined to go back to the past to tell her boyfriend how she really feels before he left to America. However, there is one problem, no matter what, the present will not change. Despite being able to go to the past, what is happening in the present will never change. I am going to try and not spoil each section but the section The Lovers seemed to based on determination. Ignoring all the rules that come with going back in time, Fumiko was determined to get into that seat and go back to her boyfriend. Determination is something we all need in life. Maybe not to travel back in time...but in real life. I am sure we have all had a situation in life where determination was key perhaps it was to get your dream job or to get into a university or even to get a certain grade. Over the years I have learnt that having determination is key to succeeding and even in this situation, Fumiko's determination allowed her to succeed in going back in time. 

Another scenario was Husband and Wife. 

This section really pulls on the heart strings. Imagine your own husband not remembering who you are. Imagine serving him in a coffee shop and him treating you like a stranger. For Kohtake this became her reality. She soon discovers that he has a letter to give to her which she receives by sitting in the certain seat and going back to the day she was meant to get the letter. This section was all about love , if you could go back to the past would go visit someone knowing they will not remember you? Perhaps some us have faced the reality of a loved one forgetting who we are and can relate to Kohtake. It is beautiful when she does go back in time, back to a time when her life was as she knew it, back to a time before things fell apart. As well as this, Kohtake is admiringly strong too. She keeps herself together through everything which is also very inspiring. Although it is okay not to be okay we can also learn to pick oursleves back up and adapt to a new reality when we have to like Kohtake did.

The Sisters. The third aspect in the book.

As a sister and as someone who has two sisters I could not imagine losing a sister. I also could not imagine not having a relationship with my sisters. Hiari when she loses her sister, she faces instant regret of having no relationship with her sister. Grief is something we all face and we all cope in different ways during Hiari's grieving process she decides to go back to a time where she can make amends with her sister. If anything, this section reminded to me to keep my loved ones close. To always be thankful for them, tell them I love them and never let an argument get the better of me because you really never know when someone's last day will be. As scary as it is to think about, we really have to cherish each day we have with each other, any day can be our last.

Last but not least Mother and Child.

This element really focused on motherhood. However, Kei a mother to be soon learns that due to health reasons she wont get the chance to be a mother. With major heartbreak, Kei is adamant that she sees her daughter at least once and so, she decided to go into the future. To a time where her daughter is ten years old. During this time, Kei has a heart touching moment with her daughter and apologises to her daughter as if it was her fault she couldn't be alive for her life and not a cruel twist of fate. This section is another that pulls on the heart strings and for all the mothers out there...have a tissue ready. 

This has been a longer blog post than usual so if you have made it this far, thank you for sticking around! I will leave you with a lovely quote from this lovely book 'No matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them, It just takes heart.'