I have read another book about cats. This time I read the novel The Guest Cat written by Takashi Hiraide. It’s a short novel about a couple in their thirties who are living in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo. They work from home as they are freelance copy-editors. One day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but it is coming back again and again. They buy treats for the animal and start to talk more and more about the cat. Their lives become more joyful and their connecting with the cat grows.
The story is familiar for many of us. The cat from the neighbors that comes to our home for more food and to take a nap. We get a connection and more feelings for the animal. It is changing our relationship with our neighbors. The cat is using his magic charm and shows nobody can own him.
The book is beautifully written and a lot of details are described. Many things are familiar. But it was difficult to read the book. Maybe it was because not many things were happening and the author uses many difficult words. I think I have to read it a few times more before I discover the real beauty of this story. But you can at least give it a try.
“For me, Chibi is a friend with whom I share an understanding, and who just happens to have taken on the form of a cat.”
– Takashi Hiraide, The Guest Cat
Sources:
– The Guest Cat Takashi Hiraide
– Goodreads
Jane Regina Sauer 