The Full Moon Coffee Shop is the first book in a cozy fantasy series by Mai Mochizuki. Originally published in Japanese in 2020, this English language translation is due out 20th Aug 2024 from Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint It's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
There's a vibrant sub-genre in Japanese food related cozy fantasy (Kamogawa Food Detectives, Tales from the Cafe, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Dallergut Department Store (which was Korean, but same basic genre), etc), and this one fits right in with the others. There's definitely a dreamlike, slightly trippy, aspect (the cafe is ephemeral and changes location depending on circumstances dictated by the patrons' needs, always on the full moon, oh, and it's staffed by giant anthropomorphic talking cats).
The book has a dreamlike quality, and the cats wax poetic to their patrons about Japanese astrology (quite a lot) and philosophy, and music. It contains a fair bit of "woo-woo" pop psychology, but overall it's entertaining, full of whimsy, and fun with a serious bent.
The prose is beautifully wrought and although slightly discursive and meandering, manages to make some good points about the meaning and trajectory of life, growing up, acceptance, and being truthful (and kind) to ourselves. The translation work, done by Jesse Kirkwood, is seamless and invisible. The text flows very well, and it doesn't read as though it's been translated (which has to be the goal).
Four stars. Well written, professionally translated, and full of whimsy, it would make an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, and a challenging and enjoyable book club selection/buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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