The synopsis of this tale is mouth-watering, and even caffeine in their nostrils: in a tiny Tokyo cafe, anyone who sits in a specific chair and orders a drink can go back in time.
However, a long list of rules frames the experience, including the fact that it will not change anything in the present and will be limited to the strict framework of the establishment. Above all, it is imperative to finish your cup before the liquid cools. In turn, clients will play the game, looking for a loved one who left with precious unexpressed answers.
This rather tempting setting is unfortunately served by an unstyled narration, bordering on insipidity, and disappointing characters; we are still looking for the poetic formulations that should have encompassed this beautiful starting idea, especially when we know the potential of Japanese literature. Moreover, the permanent justification of these irrational journeys by a dubious logic recalls the vain and convoluted explanations undermining certain youth manga.
Adapted from a play, and in spite of its international success, this novel still lets show through the boards and the staging of its big brother; should it have stuck to its original form? If he could drink a coffee and go back in time, would the author once again make his audience percolate this rather lukewarm little brother?
As long as the coffee is still hot
Toshikazu Kawaguchi
translated by Miyako Remondet
Albin Michel
240 pages