The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa on December 7, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Animals, Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary, Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Magical Realism
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
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“Books have tremendous power.”
Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse. After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .
A book about books and a cat… what’s not to like? This book is similar to nearly every book that I have read that was translated from Japanese to English, in that the wording doesn’t flow as easily as I would have liked. None the less, although a bit awkward, the story, the lesson of loving books, learning from books, the value of books and what they can teach you, and books opening your mind to other points of view were what kept me from DNFing the book.
This novel got three stars from me. Probably because the cat was hardly in it at all. The book was okay, but nothing special. I was expecting more. Protagonist’s trips became repetitive with very dull explanations of why books must be cherished. Frankly, I felt bored.