Before We Forget Kindness

The gentle but poignant fifth light fantasy in Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series (after Before We Say Goodbye) returns to Tokyo’s Café Funiculi Funicula. Run by the Tokita family, this otherwise unassuming café has one major draw: any customer who sits in one particular seat can travel in time, as long as they return before their cup of coffee gets cold. Each series installment comprises stories following different customers and the people with whom they hope to have one last conversation. This time around, readers meet a young boy trying to come to terms with his parents’ divorce (“The Son”); a new mother whose husband was killed before he could meet and name their infant daughter (“The Nameless Child”); a woman who eloped without her father’s blessing and now needs his forgiveness (“The Father”); and two best friends driven apart by painful romantic secrets (“The Valentine”). The focus on regret and grief makes this a heart-wrenching outing, but kindness and empathy still shine through in Kawaguchi’s characters. Readers will find comfort even as they reach for the tissues. Agent: Neil Gudovitz, Gudovitz & Co. (Nov.)