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| Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature! |
*I own a copy of this book.*
Genre: Novel Fantasy
Pub. Date: December 6, 2015
Visit this review on my Goodreads page here!
This book is not thick. In fact, in my good 'ol days I could practically read it in one sitting. And I did.
Firstly, I think it doesn't feel quite alright to categorize this book as a fantasy novel, but it is. The blurb says it all. An old coffee shop which offers a chance for its visitors to time-travel. The premise is pretty intriguing, I must say. And it is one of the reasons I picked this book up. Anyway, this book is the first of a trilogy but I haven't read the rest.
Just like what it promised in the back cover, Funiculi Funicula tells a series of time-travel story experiences by several characters. The start was actually kind of boring in my honest opinion.
I had this high expectation of enticing time travel stories but I was kind of disappointed by the opening where this couple in the mid of breaking up (plus distance separation) in the very coffee shop. I was like, 'where's my time travel experience?'. Then the story went on and on and finally it reached the part where the woman of the said couple asked for a chance to time travel because she wanted to do anything to change the flow of event from the day of her break up. And once again I was like, 'seriously, where's my dramatic time travel experience?'. I was really disappointed that the first time-traveler would be this (sorry) pathetic woman in denial.
Then one chapter ended and in my positive respond, I'd like to think that the first chapter played the part as introduction of so many rules regarding of the chance for people to be able to time travel. The rules are so many that not everyone is able to just come to the cafe and time travel as they want. And it was all covered perfectly case by case in this chapter. It was actually pretty neat explanation to go forward with the next ones.
From second chapter onward, this book just gets better and better.
Funiculi Funicula only has 4 chapters in total. The first one is just like how I described before. The second one titled 'Husband and Wife'. And it was so so good I buried my face on the pillow to stifle my screaming of emotionally affected by the sweet sweet interaction of both characters, the heartbreaking circumstances, the feeling of longing of something similar, the maturity of their relationship not just as a married couple but more than that, as friends, and partner in everything. I even wrote a mini review on my instagram saying something in line with this:
'Get you someone who loves you,
the way Fusagi loves Kotake
not big in words, but stellar in action
not even big in gestures of love,
but always clear about where he stands'
And it's all because of this letter from Fusagi in reply to Kotake's containing only:
"Marry me."(Funiculi Funicula, p. 86)
The third chapter titled 'Sisters' and it was just ugh, my heart exploded in tiny confetti. And not in a good way. I cried the whole journey of the sister's time travel. I have a sister on my own so I could picture exactly how she felt at the moment and I was like.. 'don't torture me this way'. But I just LOVED the ending of this chapter. Really, this Kawaguchi guy really knows how to write a perfect closure, not just for the characters, but for the readers as well.
The last one titled 'Mom and daughter'. I said this book just gets better and better the more you read and IT IS! Though, my favorite chapter would be the second one (I am a hopeless romantic, don't mind me) but this one, hands down, perfection. There are so many mind-blowing moments and I am all for it. In fact, I am all for this book!
If I am going to put my emotion and feeling while reading this book into a graph it would definitely be an exponential growth one, a J-shaped curve. I still remembered, I put the book on my chest and stared at the ceiling of my room for -I don't know- an hour or so even though it was already 3 in the morning. This book made me think about a lot of thing. About things I took for granted. Things better left unsaid. Things should not be forced. Things to just let be.
It took me a month to finally able to jot down this review cause I wanted the review to convey my feeling exactly. I think I have not put it down in proper words but well, I tried. Despite so many reviews saying this book is not their cup of teas and so on, I personally want to recommend you to read this one. It is a short, roller-coastery, yet neatly closured read. I think you will love it like I do.
