The small cafe may seem unassuming, but it houses a doorway to the past. Rumor has it that a particular chair can transport you back to a previous point in time, but it’s not nearly as simple as that. Potential time travelers must wait for the chair to be vacated, and once it is, they must stay in that seat during the trip. But the most important rule of all is that only a short moment may be relived, for each traveler must return to the present before their coffee gets cold.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a collection of four short stories. These stories are all connected, with familiar customers and the cafe’s small staff serving as the core cast. Each story zooms in on one person’s major life event. Story one begins with a young couple whose career paths are pulling them apart. The second story focuses on a long-time married couple and the health issues that arise later in life. Story number three highlights the push and pull between two sisters. And the final story ends with the loving yet complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. Every moment occurs in the small cafe, with the knowing and patient staff witnessing people in their most heartbreaking, illuminating, and vulnerable moments.
Each story is one of love and the special connection shared between the person in the present and the one they decide to visit. But each character is seeking something different. One may travel to the past to finally say the things they wished they had said in the moment, while another is trying to seek more information to understand the current predicament they’re in now. Each character travels in the name of love, and each one has an experience that alters their perspective. They can’t change the future, but the second chance they take to relive a moment allows them to view the world in a new way.
What I especially love about this book is that it’s not about changing the past or getting a redo on life. The magical chair in the cafe simply allows the character to relive a moment differently, which in turn changes their approach to living in the present day. The heartwarming tales remind us that we have the power to shape our outlook on life, and although we can’t change the past, we can still make the most of the present to build a better future.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold came to me during a busy time in my life. Each chapter’s poignant tale was a good reminder to slow down and enjoy life’s little moments, and for that I am grateful. Luckily for readers, we’re not beholden to the magical cafe’s rules. You can sit down with this lovely story and savor it, even if it means your coffee gets cold.
Rating: 9.0/10
-Brandee
