BOOK REVIEW: BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD (4.5/5)

-

 BY TOSHIKAZU KAWAGUCHI


This was my first try at a book by a Japanese author. Given the popularity of the book, I had many reviews online to go by, but surprisingly most of them were negative. Despite that I used my better judgement and decided to purchase the book and give it a try. Not going to lie, the main attraction for me was that it was only 200 pages long. Fat books require a lot of dedication to finish, and honestly I don't have that kind of concentration span or enthusiasm, but I try my best. 
This was such an amazing book though, and now I completely understand why there is a hype for Japanese authors. If I have to describe it in one sentence, it feels like a warm cup of coffee on a cold day. I was picturing that from the time I read the title, although I know the title is more literal and does not really convey this.
*SPOILER ALERT*
It explores time travel, but not the in the usual sci-fi way. It explores the emotions behind time travel and the desire to rectify the past .I mean, we all have moments in our past we wish we could revisit, to do things differently. I sure do. We all have recollected embarrassing moments in our life and cringed, but what if you could actually revisit it and change your actions? Wouldn't you take the chance? This story explores much deeper themes of death, disease and great losses. The Sisters chapter really struck a chord, it was so beautifully written. The time travel has so many rules, that it kind of beats the purpose, but the emotions behind still wanting to revisit the particular turning point in your life are so beautifully complex and they have been intricately expressed. The language is simple, but it explores everything that goes through the protagonist's mind, and it is definitely a worthwhile read. 
  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BOOK REVIEW : HOW TO KILL A GUY IN 10 WAYS (3/5)

-
Image
 By Eve Kelman As is guessable from the title, this is a dark thriller. I should probably start this review off  by clarifying that I am not a fan of dark stories. The title was quite catchy, so I wanted to give it a try, plus I loved the idea of standing up for abused, helpless women. *SPOILERS ALERT* However, halfway along the story, the protagonist completely loses her moral compass, and starts killing innocent people for flimsy reasons, and absolutely feels no remorse over it. This did not sit well with me at all. Kind of made me infuriated at the protagonist. She goes to the extent of framing her boyfriend, who is. by all standards, a good man. I would have preferred an ending where she faced some repercussion for her actions. The twist was quite good though. That is the only thing that encouraged me to finish the book. The final revelation of the perpetrator that harmed the protagonist's sister had me shook to the core. It was a twist I never saw coming. Overall, it migh...
Read more

LOVE: the king of emotions

-
 What is love? If only I knew. My best friend randomly threw this question at me and it was followed by deep thought and a few minutes of silence. When the silence got too awkward, we agreed that neither of us had the expertise to answer that question and moved on to a different topic of conversation. But the question lingered on in my brain. What exactly is it, how do you define it? I have experienced romantic attraction before and the pain that comes from losing your person as well, but how do I know if any of that was love? What is the defining characteristic? Will I feel butterflies in my stomach like they show in movies? or should I believe the more recent Instagram reels which say, no butterflies equates peace and that is love?  It was about 3 years ago when I felt something strongly for someone, the most smitten I have ever been. I had to let that person go, for the sake of self-preservation. I made a difficult decision ,where I had to choose between him and me, and I m...
Read more

BOOK REVIEW: WHITE KNIGHTS (2.5/5)

-
Image
Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky This was recommended to me by a close friend, who described it as "deeply tragic and emotional". Curious to explore the literary power packed in just about 70 pages, I purchased this short story. I honestly loved the size of this mini-book, that was another reason I was inclined to read it, although I am not a fan of pre-modern era writers.  * SPOILERS ALERT* So, I honestly could not relate to the story much. It did not leave me in tears, or briming with emotions, as expected. My only reaction at the end was "huh, not a bad read". I found the "love" that all of the characters experienced in the story, to be superficial at best. There was no emotional depth or any deep conversations between the characters which could have led to such deep emotions. I feel throughout the story, infatuation has been confused with love. Also I clearly despise the female protagonist. She viewed the protagonist as a backup and gave him unnecessary ho...
Read more