I saw this book in Italy when I was looking for a book to help me with my language learning. I decided it was too difficult to start with and it didn’t look that interesting. I think I'm easily persuadable. The lovely lady told me it had coffee and time-travelling in it. And that it was split into four parts. I didn’t know about the time-travelling or the parts when I saw it in Italy. Or I would have probably bought it. So then I read it in English.

There's a coffee shop. You can travel back in time - but the present won't change whatever you do. You can only visit someone you saw at the coffee shop before. You can only do it in one specific chair (occupied by a ghost lady who seemed to have good fashion - a white summer dress sounds great to me). Most importantly you have to get back to the present before the coffee gets cold. If you don’t, you turn into the ghost lady - forever sitting in the chair. Only some trips are worth it. This book made me think a lot. For example, if ultimately you can’t alter the present, then what could make someone risk it? I discussed it with some friends. Came up with a few propositions: truly needing to get something off your chest, wanting to experience someone’s reaction when you tell them a secret, that kind of stuff. In the book it starts off innocent: a girl wants to tell her boyfriend to stay instead of leaving to America for work. Of course he leaves anyways but telling him is important all the same. Then a wife visits her husband before his memory loss - I wanted to cry. I was promised short and sweet. Third was a visit between sisters. Lastly a mother and daughter. I won't spoil it but let’s just say I experienced an emotional rollercoaster on the overground to Kensington Olympia where I finished this book.