These books have been sitting on my read shelf for a few months now, and I haven't found the time to sit down and calmly write a review for them. The truth is that although I've read them in different months, once I finished both, I thought they could appeal to the same type of reader even though they had very different vibes to each other. Neko Café fulfils what it promises by being fresh, original and humorous, while Before the Coffee Goes Cold, it's composed of stories that address themes such as the loss of loved ones, the grieving process and serious illnesses, therefore being a much more sullen read. It is obvious that from this perspective they're very different, but they give off similar vibes when it comes to the coffee environment and they're both quick reads.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
As soon as I read the synopsis, I was very intrigued. I really enjoy exploring and meeting new authors of Japanese literature (especially when the genre is magical realism), so this book was the cherry on top.
The story takes place in Tokyo, where there is a café that is over a hundred years old, which allows customers to travel back in time when sitting in a specific place with a hot cup of coffee. The only drawback is that there are several conditions: you have to go back before the coffee gets cold (otherwise you will be stuck in the past) and nothing you do can change the present.
With this premise, we follow several stories related to the staff and visitors to the café that essentially address heavier themes such as grief, loss, death of family members and illnesses.
The truth is, in the end, I found the whole reading experience very anti-climactic.
The author's writing felt very strange, especially with the interactions between characters, which seemed very artificial and almost robotic in the way they were described. Because it deals with such heavy themes, I was expecting strong emotions to be transmitted to me, but most of the time I felt a lot of coldness regarding the actions and reactions of the cast, which meant that I also didn't develop a great connection with what was happening.
In general, the stories all reveal a very traditional moral (sometimes even with quite old-fashioned thoughts in the mix), with the denser nature that I have mentioned before.
What really grabbed my attention was the time travel element, mostly because it's a sub-genre that I haven't explored much in the books I usually read. But, unfortunately, this aspect turned out to be my biggest disappointment.
The rules were a bit too convenient and revealed without any real explanation, which meant that ultimately the plot felt very flat.
It's not a bad read, and it had a lot of potential to be a great book but lacked something that didn't allow me to pass 3 stars in terms of the final rating.
From the reviews I've seen from people I follow - like Melina Souza and Jack Edwards - mine is an unpopular opinion, so it's possible that maybe the problem was me. (Another case of "It's not you, it's me" in book style 😰).
I believe it can be a good starting point for anyone who wants to explore the genre of magical realism or even get started with Japanese literature, more simple.
Neko Café - Anna Sólyom
In this book, we follow the story of Nagore, who at 40 years old feels her life has failed. With no great alternative, she starts working at Neko Café, which has the particularity of being a cat café. The catch is that Nagore suffers from ailurophobia - also known as cat aversion.
Upon beginning her duties as a café maid, Nagore quickly learns important life lessons from each of the resident cats - Neko's seven masters - that will change her life.
This story left me with a bittersweet feeling. If, on the one hand, it is full of extremely sweet elements, on the other, I don't think these elements are strong enough to make a good enough book.
The truth is that it is not a particularly memorable or remarkable book, which is due to the fact that relationships develop in the blink of an eye without enough time to feel credible, and also to the fact that the plot leaves a lot to be desired. concerning development (or lack thereof).
It's a cross between a novel self-help book, which isn't necessarily bad, but in this case, I felt the lessons were foisted on and squeezed to fit what was happening in the narrative, to the point of becoming very repetitive.
I leave you with an example: The lesson "Be authentic in your heart" comes from a cat that entered a fight with the rest of the group and then went to sleep. Do with this whatever you may 😅
There were also positive points! For me, the most captivating thing is that it is an ideal reading for cat lovers (myself included). It even talks about their body language and how to interpret it! Honestly, these pieces when put together with the way the owner-animal relationship is portrayed were my favourite parts without a shadow of a doubt. The way this bond is portrayed is so sweet and tender that anyone who likes animals will feel moved.
For those who have already read it, here's a note: I was terribly sorry that we didn't follow Elias life - he's my favourite character and so sweet - and get to know more about his journey with Sort.
All done and everything weighed and considered, I ended up deciding on the final 2.5-star rating.
It can be a good option for a summer reading as it is lighter and more carefree. And on top of that, here's the bonus: the book is filled with adorable cat illustrations!
Disclaimer: These books were kindly gifted to me by the publisher Editorial Presença for review purposes. All of my opinions are honest and not influenced by this fact.