The third novel in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sensational ”Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series

On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time and Nagare and Kazu are back to guide new patrons.

There are rules to follow: you can only meet people who have visited the cafe, you must stay seated in your chair, and, most importantly, you must return to present before the coffee gets cold.

In Before your memory fades, we meet: the daughter who resents her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned; the comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams; the sister whose grief has become all-consuming; and the man who realized his love for his childhood friend.

Heart-warming and poignant, Kawaguchi explores how holding on to the past can affect our future, and asks the reader: Would you travel in time if your actions couldn’t change the present?