TALES FROM THE CAFE BY TOSHIKAZU KAWAGUCHI

Blurb: In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time . . .From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes Tales from the Cafe, a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer. Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Toshikazu Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years agoThe son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeralThe man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marryThe old detective who never gave his wife that gift . . .This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?

Welcome back to Funiculi Funicala! A cozy cafe tucked away in a quiet basement with three two-seater tables, one three-seater counter, a restroom, a backroom, and three ordinary people who hold the key to time travel. From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this book is the second installment in the bestselling book series that has enamoured the entire world with its heartwarming storytelling.

When I reviewed the first book (read here), I pointed out that while I enjoyed the story due to its unique premise and fleshed-out characters, I was a little disappointed by some of the narrative decisions, as it seemed to treat most of the characters with a conservative mindset. Fortunately, that hasn't been the case with this installment (at least not explicitly), plus the returning characters, especially the owners of the cafe, are written with more depth and personality compared to the first novel. Nagare, the cafe's owner, becomes a father to young Mikki after his wife Kei chooses to give up on her life to ensure her daughter gets to live. Kazu, Nagare's cousin and a waitress in the cafe, gets to really shine this season as her backstory slowly unravels in each chapter, paving the way for character development and surprise revelations!

Toshikazu Kawaguchi introduces four new stories that are bound together by a common emotion: mourning the bereaved. For this review, I've listed all four stories in chronological order with their pros and cons.

1. Gohtaro Chiba adopts his best friend, Shuichi Kamiya's daughter, Haruka, after his death and raises her like his own. But he chooses to hide her lineage from her. Now that she is about to get married, he decides to reveal the truth and step away from her life, as he feels guilty for not telling her about her real father. Gohtaro also feels guilty for wishing that Haruka were his daughter, even though he knows that he got the chance to raise Haruka because of Shuichi's death. One day, he decides to travel back in time to meet Shuichi before his death to record a video with him for Haruka's wedding.

   Honestly, this is my favourite story from the book. Shuichi and Gohtaro's friendship is heartbreakingly beautiful, and even though we never get to see Haruka, her presence is very strong, as she is the strongest link in their friendship.

2. Yukio, an aspiring potter on the verge of bankruptcy goes back in time to meet is deceased mother. He could not attend his mother's funeral as he did not have enough funds to travel, but through this trip, he aims to see his mother one last time before ending his life. Yukio's life has been riddles with so many misfortunes that one cannot help but feel sorry for him. The novel repeatedly states that the going to the past cannot change one's present, but Yukio's trip not just helped him come to terms with his mother's death, it also prevented his suicide, as he returned to the present with a new perspective on life.

3. The third story follows Katsuki, a man diagnosed with a terminal illness, as he travels to the future to meet his fiancée, Asami. This story brings back Funiko and Goro from the first novel, and they play an integral role in reuniting the two lovers. This story is an interesting commentary on the subjective definition of happiness and finding happiness in pain after losing a loved one. I like this story, but I don't find it as memorable as other tales because it focuses much more on the back and forth between the lovers instead of making some emotional impact.

4. Now, the fourth story is definitely the cutest one! Of course, it's a little heartbreaking, as it also involves bereavement, but it is a bit more optimistic, comforting, and humorous than the previous tales. Kiyoshi and his wife Kimiko, decide to meet at the cafe to celebrate the latter's birthday, but Kiyoshi gets caught up with work and does not show up. On her way home, Kimiko runs into a crime scene and is killed. Kiyoshi wanted to leave his job as a police officer, but chose to stay after his wife's death out of guilt and the belief that he did not deserve happiness and was to be blamed for losing her. Kazu, Mikki, and the mysterious lady with the book play an integral role in this tale, but I won't spoil anything because there are a lot of surprises in store!

   
   

   Honestly, I thought that I would end up spoiling the entire story with this review, because there are some really interesting developments that not only enhance the individual stories, but also the overarching narrative. The stories weaved together really well, and had some nice easter eggs from the first novel. I could not pick up the second novel for a very long time after my disappointment with Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but now I'm excited to read the rest of the installments!

   I'd like to give this novel a rating of 4/5.