Book blurb:
Against changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives.
- A needy kitten rescued from the recycling bin teaches a new father how to parent his own human baby
- An elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever
- A colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature’s way
- A family is perplexed by their cat’s devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father
- A woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night
Bursting with empathy and love, THE GOODBYE CAT explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down.
Following on from The Travelling Cat Chronicles, this book is a collection of short stories that focuses on different cats as they go about their lives and the ways in which the influence and interact with their human family members. I will try to avoid giving any particular spoilers to the stories contained in this book, but let me tell you there were moments where I truly sobbed.
As with The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Hiro Arikawa does an amazing job of giving every cat their own unique voice. The voices all have that perfect balance of warmth and independence, while also having that sassiness that all cats have. The stories are also all very relatable: One story focuses on how a cat grows up with the child of the people who adopted him, whilst another deals with how an expectant couple cope with having a high energy kitten in their midst. The stories are told with such heart that even though they are not long stories, you get a rally good idea of who all the characters are and you truly do care about their lives.
Now I will say that the book does not shy away from the fact that almost all of us will outlive our companion animals, with cats being no exception. Like I said, one story in particular made me sob, where a young man realises that his cat won’t live forever. We’ve all been there and that realisation is both gut-wrenching and empowering, as it means we don’t take any moment with them for granted. I felt all of the sad moments in the stories were given the gravity that they truly deserve to have, which made them truly impactful. Yet at the same time, the happy and silly moments in the stories are made to feel so realistic that you feel that you are there, and if you have ever had the joy of living with a cat, they are also super relatable. For me, these stories brought back so many wonderful memories of my own cats growing up and overall just felt very comforting.
Even if you have never had a companion animal in your life, this book does a very good job of showing all of those highs and lows without really making any comment either way about it. The stories are very much snapshots into the lives of the different cats and the different humans that they interact with, and I found that the writing is so well done and so beautifully written that I could honestly read this for days.
Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was the spiritual elements to the book. One story focuses on a cat’s determination to become a spirit guardian for his human companion so that they never have to be without one another, and I really enjoying hearing about the different spirits of Japanese folklore and history that this cat was seeking inspiration from. As someone who loves mythology and folklore, I found this to be a very welcome surprise addition to many of the stories. It also helped to give more context as to why cats are such wonderful creatures to live with.
As with The Travelling Cat Chronicles, I found this book to be incredibly wholesome. Yes it is sad at times, an quite silly at other times, the entire book reads as very hopeful. It very much makes it clear (or at least it did to me) that whilst having a companion animal can be hard, trying work at times, the benefits that a little furry friend can bring to your life outweighs any negatives. The book is very hopeful too, in that even after losing a beloved companion animal, the characters were still able to open their hearts to a new animal and to welcome that animal into their home and into their hearts again. For me, this is the perfect book to read when you want something that is the equivalent to a warm hug. It will also make you want to snuggle your animals that little bit longer too.
Taylor Talks Vegan 