Before We Say Goodbye

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s poignant Before We Say Goodbye, translated from Japanese, explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

The regulars at the magical Cafe Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary, secret menu time travel offering. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family, and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks and there are rules to follow. Travellers must have visited the cafe previously and most importantly, must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to go cold.

In the tradition of Kawaguchi’s sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, readers are be introduced to a new set of visitors:

• the husband with something important left to say;
• the woman who couldn’t bid her dog farewell;
• the woman who couldn’t answer a proposal;
• the daughter who drove her father away.

In the hauntingly beautiful Before We Say Goodbye, Kawaguchi invites us to join his characters as they embark on a journey to revisit one crucial moment in time.