The Book Report #124

Episode #123

Before We Say Goodbye By Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Book

First published in 2023 through Picador. who is an imprint of Pan Macmillan. Originally published in 2021, in Japan as Sayonara Mo Ienai Uchi Ni by Sunmark Publishing Inc. The translation was arranged through Sunmark Publishing Inc with Gudovitz & Company Literacy Agency, New York.

My copy is a second print paperback edition. The book has 182 pages, with an author’s note, a biography of the author, and an advertisement for other books in the series.

What did I Think?

This is the fourth book in the series, but I think the second in chronological order. Back in the Tokoyo coffee shop, Miki is a baby again. Kazu isn’t pregnant or has met the man she has the baby with. Nagare, although it hasn’t been a year yet, isn’t showing the loss of his wife.

We return to the cafe Funiculi Funicula, where life continues, and we get another four stories of people who have regrets about things they have done in the past and wish to find closure, whether that would be to fix a problem, say goodbye, find out why it happened or to make themselves feel better.

Mr Kawaguchi never fails in his storytelling. He’s consistent, and the formula is simple, and the stories are pretty much all the same, but always different.

The four stories this time deal with a husband who was never around for his family. A wife who was crushed when she wasn’t awake when her dog passed. A woman who couldn’t decide whether to marry someone. And a young lady embarrassed by he father.

Returning to this series after a while was nice. Even though the previous book left me slightly depressed with the constant death, this time around, the mood has shifted even though we are still dealing with loss.

I am glad I went back.

New Information

Big news, though there may also be a way to speed up the ghost going to the toilet. It happened in a previous book, but talking about your problems with the ghost nearby seems to do the trick.

One concern was Mr Kawaguchi’s slight description of Hagare’s eyes. But an interesting detail is more about the process within the area where the time travel takes place, and even more detail on what happens to those who experience it.

I am glad there are more books in the series.

Would I Recommend?

Do you like a little drama wrapped up with some fantasy and have a few minutes to spare? Maybe snooping into other imaginary lives? This book is a quick read that will remove any spare boredom.

Please give this book a go.

Would you like to purchase your very own copy?

You could try these online stores: Amazon UK/USA. Waterstones. AbeBooks UK/USA, Barnes and Noble and eBay UK/USA.

Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or even your local library.