53 pages 1 hour read

Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Transl. Geoffrey Trousselot

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

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Essay Topics

1.

How does Kawaguchi employ the motif of coffee in the novel? To what extent is coffee’s role in Japanese history an important one for understanding time travel?

2.

How might Japanese and Western readers respond differently to the theme of From Individualism to Unity in the novel? Refer to at least two parts in your answer.

3.

Why is Fumiko such an important character in Kawaguchi’s novel? How could her experiences condition reader expectations?