Before Your Memory Fades Paperback – 1 September 2022

Good

There are 4 layered stories which are set in the small, mysterious, time-travelling, magical another cafe (Donna Donna), which is on the hillside of Mt. Hakodate, in North Japan. It is the sister cafe. The stories are of : the daughter, the comedian, the sister, & the young man. Each story is unique, interesting, and deeply personal. The author has provided the relationship map of characters (before the content page - which is very good, as one can refer to the characters while reading the story). There is a ghost (as usual), who is an old gentleman in the black. The other people are: Dr. Saki, Sachi (daughter of Kazu), Reiji, Yukari (owner of this cafe), Nanako, Seto, etc. Noted western-style houses, Hakodate (as a tourist destination), staff : Kazu (cousin of Nagare), Kei & Nagare. In this cafe, one can find the same rules (to go into the past life and to come back in the present) as in Book 1.

In my opinion this is the best one in the series. The quirky characters, the wholesome stories make up for a great winter/autumnal reading. The setting has changed from Funicili Funicula in Tokyo to Donna Donna cafe in a port city called Hakodate in Hokkaido. This was perfect for me because the setting changes to a sea-side town and the lovely descriptions of the foliage and the changing seasons. I loved it !An absolute ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 !Highly recommend :)

Leaving Tokyo behind, we take a trip with our old friends to the sister cafe of Funiculi Funicula, where, on the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna with its wistful views also offers customers the chance to quest through time. More of the recognisable cafe owners' stories are revealed, and we also meet wonderful new characters, including the mother and daughter, who in their own independent loneliness travel through time to save each other. Tears may flow, as our time travellers once again find new vantage points on old beliefs to uncover life-affirming discoveries.

Before Your Memory Fades is the third instalment in Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, and unlike the previous two books, it failed to some extent to capture my attention the way the former ones did!Let me explain why though. Before Your Memory Fades wasn’t bad at all. It had the same kind of emotions, the same kind of connections formed by grief and death, same sentiments. However, the writing felt kind of long, overused and repetitive. Because of the repetitiveness, it failed to tug on my heartstrings like the previous ones.That being said, these stories, though rooted in grief, always come as uplifting and satisfying. There is a kind of connection that we feel and can’t ignore with each one of Kawaguchi’s characters. Each story attaches us differently and plays with different emotions underneath while working on a similar concept of loss.The best part of these books is that they are short and to the point (despite the repetitiveness) and aren’t that deep-level character studies, so they are easily enjoyable.I have the physical copy still I listened to the audiobook because I feel that is the best way to read these stories.This instalment has four interconnected stories- a daughter holding a grudge for her dead parents to leave her orphaned; a comedian moving forward in life only to complete his deceased wife’s dream of his success; a sister all-consumed in the grief of her younger sister’s untimely death; a young man realising his love for his childhood friend too late.Despite the third instalment being my least favourite in the series so far, I would recommend it for sure and am looking forward to the next instalment coming later this year 😊

You cannot change the past, present or future. But you can surely find out the reason for happiness by time travel with loved ones.

You will recognize this book's pattern if you are familiar with Toshikazu Kawaguchi's previous books. He divided the book into four independent stories, each involving time travel. However, the events take place fifteen years into the future from the first book. Nagare and Kazu are in Hakodate, tending to Nagare's mother's café (Café Donna Donna) because she went to America to help someone.Nagare's daughter, Miku, stays behind in Tokyo to manage Nagare's café. Kazu is a mother, and her daughter now pours coffee for those who wish to travel in time. They repeat the rules in every story, which can become tedious; however, this repetition is necessary because each story is independent of the others.While the author does not spend much time discussing the main characters, Nagare and Kazu, an astute reader will learn much about them from the subtle character of the conversation.Once again, he treads a familiar theme: incomplete conversations, loss, regret, heartbreak, etc. Once again, the time travelers journey through time to meet people they left behind to seek completion.There is a young woman who wants to confront her dead parents, a comedian who wants to share some news with his wife, a woman who wants to speak to her sister, and a man who wants to say something to a woman he loves.In each case, the travelers return, amend their lives and attitudes, and change their future. While they cannot change the present, they can change the course of their lives. In this way, the book offers them the chance of redemption, of hope.While the books deal with loss, miscommunication, and other related issues, they also offer hope. This hope, for me, is the enduring message in these stories.

Before Your Memory Fades is the perfect cosy read to tuck into when life feels a little darker, prompting us to think about life’s true value and what to do with ours while we still have the chance. Not only does he remind us of just how much we take our ordinary lives and the people in it for granted, but he also inspires us to remain hopeful when these people are no longer by our side; something I definitely needed reminding of.