3.5
Before Your Memory Fades
ByPublisher Description
The third novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, following four new customers in a cafe where customers can travel back in time.
On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafe comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, readers will also be introduced to:
Translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and featuring signature heart-warming characters and wistful storytelling, in Before Your Memory Fades, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?
Meet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating Before the Coffee Gets Cold series:
On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafe comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, readers will also be introduced to:
- A daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned
- A comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams
- A younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming
- A young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late
Translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and featuring signature heart-warming characters and wistful storytelling, in Before Your Memory Fades, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?
Meet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating Before the Coffee Gets Cold series:
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Book 1)
- Tales from the Cafe (Book 2)
- Before Your Memory Fades (Book 3)
- Before We Say Goodbye (Book 4)
- Before We Forget Kindness (Book 5)
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesBefore Your Memory Fades Reviews
3.5
“Tucked away in a quiet Tokyo alley is Café Funiculi Funicula, a century-old coffee shop with an extraordinary secret: the chance to travel back in time. In this tender continuation of the series, four new visitors step through its doors, each hoping for a moment to revisit the past. Alongside familiar faces, we meet a daughter, a comedian, a sister, and a lover, all chasing words left unsaid and feelings unfinished, discovering that even a brief return can change the way they move forward.
I gave this book 5 stars and once again it reminded me why I love this entire series so much. The writing is gentle and easy to follow, yet it carries so much emotional weight that I found myself crying during every single story. Each character’s reason for traveling back in time feels deeply human, full of regret, love, and things left unsaid, and the atmosphere of the café remains just as cozy and comforting as ever. I especially loved how the stories are subtly connected, with familiar faces appearing and small threads tying everything together, making the world feel warm and lived-in. It’s a quick, effortless read, but the emotions linger long after you finish. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys heartfelt stories about relationships, second chances, and quiet moments that stay with you.”
“I’m not even gonna hold you bruh. That was devastating. The stories in this one were more tragic than the previous books. And that’s saying something. I think that this one, to me, was less about grief, which I think the others were centered around, and more so about the literal feeling of not being able to go on. Three of the people in this book were ready to end it all. Were simply struggling to continue going on. The arc of this book centers the person who is gone not wanting the people left behind, specifically *their person* to be suffering in their absence. The shit was beautiful and painful to read.
And having it revolve around the hundred questions book that YUKARI WROTE?? Idk man. Man down. I think the change of setting, the driving forces, the different characters helped move forward what could have felt like a really repetitive plot device and story. But I found it to be a refreshing take on a style that works well. I’ll probably take some time before I read the next one cause my heart can only take so much.”
“I wasn’t prepared to cry this hard at the ending of this book 😭😭 this is one of the most beautifully written series I have ever read! I know some people don’t like it because it does repeat but every story is different and they all pull at my heart strings 🥹❤️🩹”About Toshikazu Kawaguchi
TOSHIKAZU KAWAGUCHI was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He has produced, directed and written for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song and family time. His play Before the Coffee Gets Cold won the grand prize at the Suginami Drama Festival. This is his debut as an author. Before the Coffee Gets Cold has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.
Other books by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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