Nick Bradley

A stray cat dances through Tokyo, connecting a group of apparent strangers, in this inventive literary debut.

The Cat and the City

A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick 'Ingenious ... touching, surprising and sometimes heartbreaking.' Guardian 'If you're itching to read a new novel by David Mitchell ... try this.' The Times _______________ In Tokyo - one of the world's largest megacities - a stray cat is wending her way through the back alleys. And, with each detour, she brushes up against the seemingly disparate lives of the city-dwellers, connecting them in unexpected ways. But the city is changing. As it does, it pushes her to the margins where she chances upon a series of apparent strangers - from a homeless man squatting in an abandoned hotel, to a shut-in hermit afraid to leave his house, to a convenience store worker searching for love. The cat orbits Tokyo's denizens, drawing them ever closer. 'Masterfully weaves together seemingly disparate threads to conjure up a vivid tapestry of Tokyo; its glory, its shame, its characters, and a calico cat.' David Peace, author of THE TOKYO TRILOGY One of the Independent's best debuts

'Vibrant and accomplished' David Mitchell

The Cat and The City

A nice surprise as what seemed like separate short stories of individual characters slowly begin to cross over. 

Cassandra Tang

Eva Ströberg

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This book is so entertaining that it was quite hard to put down. At first you think the book consists of several separate short stories, with different characters living, working in Tokyo, until you realise that the stories and the characters are intertwined in a special way, and also somehow bind by a special guest star: the mystical calico cat.
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Four stars instead of five is because I feel some things need to have better clarification or closures and the lack of backgrounds. Maybe it is what makes the stories are so enchanting and mysterious, but I need my reference point to be able to relate deeply to the stories, and some stories just lack background and explanations imho

In Tokyo--, one of the world's largest megacities, --a stray cat is wending her way through the back alleys. With each detour, she brushes up against the seemingly disparate lives of the city-dwellers, connecting them in unexpected ways. But the city is changing. As it does, it pushes her to the margins where she chances upon a series of apparent strangers--, from a homeless man squatting in an abandoned hotel, to a shut-in hermit afraid to leave his house, to a convenience store worker searching for love. The cat orbits Tokyo's denizens, drawing them ever closer. In a series of spellbinding, interlocking narratives--, with styles ranging from manga to footnotes--, Nick Bradley has hewn a novel of interplay and estrangement; of survival and self-destruction; of the desire to belong and the need to escape. Formally inventive and slyly political, The Cat and The City is a lithe thrill-ride through the less-glimpsed streets of Tokyo.

i cried, i laughed, i felt despaid and i felt seen.

i lovee every chapter, and finding all the links between the characters and events was just UGHHHH. i genuinely cried at two of the chapters in the end. the only part that was icky was the chapter about ants, the writing style wasn't really my style. 

laura

i loved this book omg. 

i cried, i laughed, i felt despaid and i felt seen.

i lovee every chapter, and finding all the links between the characters and events was just UGHHHH. i genuinely cried at two of the chapters in the end. the only part that was icky was the chapter about ants, the writing style wasn't really my style. 

otherwise it was very big slay. 

buchas. 

please read it. 

Sofia Arcângelo 

I really liked the first two stories, but as the book progressed it became tedious and disheartening. I just didn't connect with the book, although the premise is interesting and promising: All the characters are linked by a calico cat.

Eleanor Luhar

Everything about this book appealed to me. My family are huge animal-lovers, and we all have a particular soft spot for cats. I would also love to visit Japan someday - the culture, the language, the scenery... It's all so beautiful!
So I'm sure you've realised by now that this book is centred around a cat, and set in Japan. It's quite hard to explain the book properly, as it's a collection of separate narratives that all connect in various ways. And every person's story features a particular cat, too. 
Every character and narrative was extremely unique which I loved - from a renowned tattooist to a translator from America, to a homeless man living on the streets of Tokyo. There was also a large amount of Japanese terminology and cultural references. Some of it I wasn't actually familiar with, and I have no existing personal knowledge or experience to compare it to, but it felt authentic to me.
One small complaint I have is that I didn't find the passage of time particularly clear - were these stories taking place simultaneously, or in sequence? Or was there a longer length of time between each? The further I read, the more it kind of made sense to me, but I was a bit confused for quite a while.
This was a really interesting book, with some really lovely moments. There was also a slightly eerie, almost paranormal atmosphere following the cat, which I really loved!
Overall, I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. Perhaps, if/when I ever get to visit Japan and learn more about the culture, I'll read this book again and be able to appreciate it even more!

Jade Flynn

Read for the 'Magical Readathon 2021'. Prompt: Scholar's Key -Background (Urban): Read a book set in a city or town. 

Read for 'Bookoplathon 2021'. Prompt: Read a book that has The, Of, A, An or And in the title.

Pam Sartain

The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley is a series of interconnecting short stories that are set in Tokyo in 2020, when the city is getting ready for the Olympics. 

Yes, sadly the Olympics have been moved to 2021 due to the pandemic, and I'm sure this isn't going to be the first book that was set in 2020 before Coronavirus happened!

Anyway, these interconnected short stories have the same characters woven through them, along with a calico cat.  There are stories of a young woman who wants a map of Tokyo tattooed on her back, and the traditional Japanese tattooist who does it.  The story of a taxi driver.  The story of a young boy who is being bullied at school and a man who can't leave his apartment.

I think the best description would be fiction with light fantastical elements in places.  The stories end before you fully know the consequences or outcome, but then you might catch glimpses in later stories. 

The stories were well thought out, and so is the interweaving of characters, and further hints about their lives.  There were some words that I needed to look up, things like Tokyo on Google Maps that I looked at, but all in all, you won't find yourself too lost, except in enjoyment!

This book reminded me of  Before The Coffee Gets Cold , which I also really liked!

 The Cat and the City  is out now, and you can order it from  Amazon ,  Waterstones , or your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Nick Bradley on his  website,  on  Twitter  or on  Instagram . 

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Atlantic Books .

Anina

i loved the different stories and how they all were somehow connected, i loved liking some of the characters and hating others, i loved the writing, i loved the cat, and i loved the ending. i really am out here simping for this book

The Cat and the City

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