Genki Kawamura

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.

A Novel

If Cats Disappeared from the World

世界から猫が消えたなら

sofia 🪆

“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.”

Ricardo Feliciano

Cynthia

Klara Hansen 

Miyamoto Musashi

I scooped the cat up and snuggled him against my chest for comfort. He was warm and soft—a smooth, fluffy ball of fur in my arms. I’d cuddled up with the little guy countless times over the years without thinking much about it, but now, for the first time ever, it occurred to me that maybe this little act of comfort was what life was all about.

If you’re trying to separate out the scores of “meaningless things” in the world from everything else, you’ll eventually have to make a judgment about human beings, about our existence. 

I wondered, did she have any time to herself? Did she have any hobbies of her own? Were there things she wanted to do, hopes and dreams she held on to? I always wanted to thank her properly for all she’d done for, but never found the words. I never even bought her flowers because it seemed like a cheesy gesture at the time. Why couldn’t I at least have done something small for her? Why was this simple action so hard for me? Why did it take me this long to understand?

If Cats Disappeared from the World quotes

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