The Book Report #57

Episode #56

Tales From the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Book two from the series: Before the Coffee Gets Cold

The Book

This book was first printed in 2020 by Picador and is an imprint of Pan Macmillan. It was originally published in Japan and titled Kono Uso GA Barenai Lichini by Sunmark Publishing Inc. in 2017. And translated by Geoffrey Trousselot.

My copy of the book is the 23rd print. The book has 197 pages with an advertisement for the other books in the collection.

What Did I Think

This is the second book in the series. And this time bringing you more detail on the characters. Although we knew it was going to happen. I was still shocked by the passing of one of the characters. To help with this Mr Kawaguchi set the story six years later.

We also learn more about the ghost and its connection to one of the staff. I did find this interesting and sad. And we see how the effects have taken their toll over the years. We also learn some new rules about how time travelling affects certain staff. I did find this intriguing.

The main plot hasn’t changed in this chapter of the book series. This time we have four instead of five stories about finding answers to questions they need to know or didn’t know existed.

The characters that run the cafe have changed due to one passing. Nagare still runs the cafe creating what he believes is the best type of coffee. Kazu helps run the cafe. This time she is the main protagonist in this part of the story arc. Then we are introduced to Miki, a new character and daughter to Nargare and Kei.

I seem to enjoy this book more than the original. Maybe it’s because of the familiarity from the first book going into the second. But I have the third book ready and waiting for me and I will be happy to read the next chapter. This book is a nice and easy read if you need or want something light and not too taxing.

Would I Recommend

Abso-bloody-lutley. The drama in this story, although not extremely amazing. Which I think is why it works so well. They are basic stories of need and loss that propel the person in each story to achieve some closure.

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.