“¿Si pudieras viajar al pasado, a quién visitarías antes de que el café se enfríe?”
Kawaguchi's writing is lyrical, evocative, and introspective, making it easy to become fully immersed in the narrative. His characters are well-developed and relatable, with distinct personalities that add depth to the story. The author's use of magical realism, where the café serves as a nexus between past and present, is seamless and enhances the overall reading experience. “¿Si pudieras viajar al pasado, a quién visitarías
Kawaguchi, the mastermind behind the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, constructs narratives that are fundamentally about the tension between stasis and flow. In his fictional Tokyo café, time travel is possible, but rigorously constrained: one must return before the coffee gets cold. The title of this specific work, Hasta el próximo café (Until the Next Coffee), implies a promise of continuity. It suggests a cyclical nature to our relationships—a comforting belief that there will be a "next time," a future meeting where the conversation can resume. It is the linguistic equivalent of a pause button, a refusal to accept the finality of a period at the end of a sentence. Kawaguchi, the mastermind behind the Before the Coffee