The sound of "CLANG-DONG" and a voice saying "hello, welcome" greets customers of the Funiculi Funicula café in Before I Knew I Loved You, Toshikazu Kawaguchi's emotional, heartwarming sixth novel in his Before the Coffee Gets Cold series (Before We Say Goodbye). Translated from the Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, the novel transports readers to a small, magical basement café in Tokyo where people can travel in time, but only until their coffee gets cold. As in previous volumes, the novel contains four interconnected short stories, each following a different café patron. Although the staff and some regular customers reappear throughout the series, readers need not have read earlier entries to enjoy this one.
Kawaguchi introduces Rikako Kabe, who yearns to know whether she will survive a cancer diagnosis so she can decide whether to agree to marry her boyfriend; Azami Kishimoto, who regrets never calling her stepmother "Mum"; and many more characters. He tells each story lovingly, with great compassion and understanding for the choices characters make and the emotional aftermath. The attentiveness of the staff--owner Nagare Tokita, his daughter, Miki, and cousin Kazu--envelop readers in the café's warmth.
"If you could go back, who would you want to meet?" asks the novel's dedication. It's a question to consider as Kawaguchi reveals each customer's history and reasons for--and hesitations about--wanting to time travel. Thoughtful and introspective, Before I Knew I Loved You is an exceptional addition to a stellar series. --Alyssa Parssinen, freelance reviewer and former bookseller