Name: If Cats Disappeared from the World
Rating: 3.676984126984127 (252 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250294050

Eric Selland

Genki Kawamura

A Novel

If Cats Disappeared from the World

世界から猫が消えたなら

A beautifully moving tale of loss and reaching out to the ones we love, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life. Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . . Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his beloved cat – to the brink. Genki Kawamura's If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life. This beautiful tale is translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, who also translated The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Fans of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles will also surely love If Cats Disappeared from the World.

If Cats Disappeared From The World

Our narrator's days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor's diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . .Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself - and his beloved cat - to the brink. Genki Kawamura's If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man's journey to discover what really matters in modern life.This beautiful tale is translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, who also translated The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Fans of The Guest Cat will also surely love If Cats Disappeared from the World.

Cassandra Tang

The international phenomenon that has sold over a million copies in Japan, If Cats Disappeared from the World is a funny, heartwarming, and profound meditation on the meaning of life. The postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the Devil appears to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, our narrator will get one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week... With each object that disappears the postman reflects on the life he’s lived, his joys and regrets, and the people he’s loved and lost. Genki Kawamura’s timeless tale is a moving story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters most in life.

I think this holds true universally: whenever you’re in need of a little tenderness in life, choosing a piece of Japanese literature is never the wrong move. I’m not here for the well-crafted plots or the poetic reflections on life—just the vibe. There’s hardly a storyline in sight, yet somehow, it lets you see things more clearly, especially when you’ve been focused on something else for too long.

🏹

simple yet makes u think abt the little things that make life worth living.

mint

It's simplistic, straightforward yet it clenches your heart. It makes you ponder about life, about the importance of simple everyday things, and yes — the importance of cats. 

It's simplistic, straightforward yet it clenches your heart. It makes you ponder about life, about the importance of simple everyday things, and yes — the importance of cats. 

PS: the devil is so funny lol

Thought provoking and absolutely beautiful 

Maureen

"I guess it's the same with life. We all know it has to end
someday, but even so, we act as if we're going to live forever. Like love, life is beautiful because it must come to an end."

***

Memento mori, basically. The premise really piqued my interest, but I didn't get to connect with the book as much as I thought I would. The thing about Japanese literature is that it's always hit-or-miss. Translation is probably a major factor because I felt like I was reading a YA novel here. 

If you're not a fan of self-help, you might feel this book getting over preachy at times. Nonetheless, the ending tied everything together nicely. 😃

sani

“And that’s why we need cats. It’s just like my mother said. Cats don’t need us. It’s human beings who need cats.”

the first book to actually made me cry this year. this is my kind of book. the book which is funny, nothing significant really happens and yet at the same time, it teaches us so much about reality. loved the way the magical realism was shown in the book. perfect for those people who love cats and movies. 

it was a short but beautiful journey of seven days with the narrator and as cliche as it sounds, i have grown to appreciate the little things, like he said. 

“I was never able to be completely myself or live my life in exactly the way I wanted to. I’m not sure I ever even figured out what exactly “being myself” really meant. So I’ll die with all those failures and regrets, all those unfulfilled dreams—all the people I never met, the things I never tasted, the places I’ve never been. But that doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m satisfied with who I am and how I’ve lived. I’m happy to have been here at all. Where else but here could I have been?”

loved the ambiguous ending. in my mind, the narrator and his father had made up and his father now takes care of sweet Cabbage while he is dead now.

honestly idk what i expected coming into this but i did like it. it really did make me think about life and just things humans do lol. also my first book i’ve read in yeaaars so shoutout to it for that 🙏

This is the most beautiful book I have ever read. I sobbed. Literally sobbed. 

Anca B

Amna A.

"With his four white feet tucked in and folded under his fur, he looked like a perfectly round throw-pillow. I stroked him and felt his little heart beating away. It was almost unbelievable that such a life force flowed through this small creature, as he lay there so still, sleeping beautifully".
This book explores the "unnecessary things" that play an important role in shaping who we are and give our lives meaning, such as cats and movies, and the ethical dilemma of denying the rest of the world those "unnecessities" in exchange for an extra day of life. Up until around the halfway mark of this book, I wasn't really enjoying the writing style and felt that the narration was too stoic for such a subject (cats disappearing from the world!!!). Initially I thought it was a translation issue, but looking back, I see that this may have been intentional to reflect the main character's development and the emotional awareness he gains with the realisation of what he might cause to disappear from the world.

Laura Rodrigues de Pina

** spoiler alert **
           Honestamente? Eu gostei muito. 

Apesar de ser uma leitura reflexiva — com todos os clichês que tem direito — não é um leitura pesada, talvez porque meus estágios do luto estão mais avançados e já não sinto mas tanto quanto sentiria há alguns anos atras. Pra Laura de hoje é um ótimo livro com passagens bonitas e significativas. O final me remeteu a duas possibilidades e em qualquer uma delas, fico satisfeita de ter decidido ler. 

obs: não acho egoísta nenhuma das decisões dele e acho que faria a mesma coisa.

If Cats Disappeared from the World A Novel

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