Takashi Hiraide

Eric Selland

A young couple working as editors from their home in a quiet part of Tokyo begin to see things differently when a lovely cat enters their lives uninvited.

The Guest Cat

An easy read but rich in descriptive passages and emotional build-up, from discovering new feelings to mourning them. Although the pace was slow and there was no plot and no trajectory that this story followed, I enjoyed reading it. 

Nina Alexandra Bacrau

“no plot, just vibes” kind of book but unfortunately, i didnt vibe with it :( 

رواية قصيرة عذبة ورقيقة، إلى درجة أنه ليس بوسعي وصف المشاعر التي مررت بها خلال قراءتها أفضل من قولي لهاتين الكلمتين، ويكفيني الدموع التي ذرفتها خلال القراءة بين الحين والآخر.

قضيت ما يقارب أكثر من أربعة أشهر في القراءة لأسباب عديدة، وبينما أقرأ لاحظت كيف كانت تسير القصة بذكر مرور الأشهر وتغير الفصول، وكانت الفصول تتغير عليّ أنا أيضًا، انتصفنا الشتاء مؤخرًا بعد أن انتهى الخريف، وبينما انغمست في تأمل وصف الكاتب للفصول، والأشجار، والأزهار، وحركة الحيوانات، واختلاف الأصوات، والبيوت العامرة بأهلها ومن يحبون، واختلاف تلك البيوت عن بيوتٍ أخرى، وجدت في القصة شيئًا من نفسي، وكيف يتسابق العالم على تركي في الوراء وأنا بالكاد ألحظ تساقط أوراق الخريف حتى يحل الشتاء ويتبعه الربيع ثم الصيف ويعيد العام نفسه، عامًا تلو عام، أكبر عمرًا ومع ذلك أبقى معلقة في الذكريات التي تحملها تلك الفصول.

كما تذكرت القطة الصغيرة التي كانت عندي ولم يكن بوسعها الرضاعة من أمها، قطة لم يسعفني الوقت ويترك لي مجالاً لأسميها، تذكرت الليلة التي خرجت فيها للبيطري مع أمي مشيًا على الأقدام وأنا أحمل صندوقًا تنطوي القطة على نفسها في أحد زواياه، أسرعت في خطاي آنذاك حتى وأنا أعي أن الوقت كان متأخرًا على إنقاذها، مع ذلك لم تكن قصة مثل قصة القطة تشيبي لتنكأ لي مثل هذه الجراح، إلا أنها أحيتها بطريقة رقيقة، كمثل من يخلف ذكرى طيبة بحيث لا يسع أحد إلا الابتسام بدلاً من البكاء.

وجدت الغموض الذي يكتنف النهاية مناسبًا كفاية، بالإيمان في أن كل شيء كان غرضًا يرينا دورة الحياة التي لا تقف لأي أحد بجميع أشكالها، ومع ذلك تظل الذكرى راسخة، ويكمن جمال غامض حتى في أبسط الأشياء مثل وصفٍ مطول لسياج البامبو أو طريقة غلي سرطان البحر الياباني.

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رواية قصيرة عذبة ورقيقة، إلى درجة أنه ليس بوسعي وصف المشاعر التي مررت بها خلال قراءتها أفضل من قولي لهاتين الكلمتين، ويكفيني الدموع التي ذرفتها خلال القراءة بين الحين والآخر.

قضيت ما يقارب أكثر من أربعة أشهر في القراءة لأسباب عديدة، وبينما أقرأ لاحظت كيف كانت تسير القصة بذكر مرور الأشهر وتغير الفصول، وكانت الفصول تتغير عليّ أنا أيضًا، انتصفنا الشتاء مؤخرًا بعد أن انتهى الخريف، وبينما انغمست في تأمل وصف الكاتب للفصول، والأشجار، والأزهار، وحركة الحيوانات، واختلاف الأصوات، والبيوت العامرة بأهلها ومن يحبون، واختلاف تلك البيوت عن بيوتٍ أخرى، وجدت في القصة شيئًا من نفسي، وكيف يتسابق العالم على تركي في الوراء وأنا بالكاد ألحظ تساقط أوراق الخريف حتى يحل الشتاء ويتبعه الربيع ثم الصيف ويعيد العام نفسه، عامًا تلو عام، أكبر عمرًا ومع ذلك أبقى معلقة في الذكريات التي تحملها تلك الفصول.

كما تذكرت القطة الصغيرة التي كانت عندي ولم يكن بوسعها الرضاعة من أمها، قطة لم يسعفني الوقت ويترك لي مجالاً لأسميها، تذكرت الليلة التي خرجت فيها للبيطري مع أمي مشيًا على الأقدام وأنا أحمل صندوقًا تنطوي القطة على نفسها في أحد زواياه، أسرعت في خطاي آنذاك حتى وأنا أعي أن الوقت كان متأخرًا على إنقاذها، مع ذلك لم تكن قصة مثل قصة القطة تشيبي لتنكأ لي مثل هذه الجراح، إلا أنها أحيتها بطريقة رقيقة، كمثل من يخلف ذكرى طيبة بحيث لا يسع أحد إلا الابتسام بدلاً من البكاء.

وجدت الغموض الذي يكتنف النهاية مناسبًا كفاية، بالإيمان في أن كل شيء كان غرضًا يرينا دورة الحياة التي لا تقف لأي أحد بجميع أشكالها، ومع ذلك تظل الذكرى راسخة، ويكمن جمال غامض حتى في أبسط الأشياء مثل وصفٍ مطول لسياج البامبو أو طريقة غلي سرطان البحر الياباني.

maybe it’s one of those cases where too much gets lost in translation but it felt like there was constant disconnect in the content throughout the book. there were a lot of detailed visual descriptions that ran on for so long that by the time i could add another detail to my mental image, it was already fading. having visual sketches throughout would’ve made the reading much more enjoyable 

i did quite enjoy the characterisation of the wife and chibi and their relationship ! 

maybe it’s one of those cases where too much gets lost in translation but it felt like there was constant disconnect in the content throughout the book. there were a lot of detailed visual descriptions that ran on for so long that by the time i could add another detail to my mental image, it was already fading. having visual sketches throughout would’ve made the reading much more enjoyable 

i did quite enjoy the characterisation of the wife and chibi and their relationship ! 

Deepika Ramesh

The green-eyed cat on the cover misleads the reader. It’s not a book on how cute a cat is, and how it changes a couple’s life. The Guest Cat by the Japanese writer Takashi Hiraide is something beyond that. It touches everything that one experiences, when one tries hard to cope with change and loss.

The nameless narrator and his wife live in a spacious guest house, and are visited by the neighbour’s cat — Chibi. The feline, the writer says, has two personalities — the one that she exhibits to her owners, and her natural self that she displays in the company of the writer and his wife. While the narrator’s wife has an innate love for animals, befriending a cat is an acquired taste for the narrator. As their friendship strengthens, Chibi dies in a mysterious manner. The narrator doesn’t investigate the cause of Chibi’s death. It’s not that kind of book. The Guest Cat deals with how the couple meets the void created by Chibi, who never quite belonged to them.

My heart sinks when I put myself in the couple’s place. Chibi visits them everyday, wolfs down the delicious food offered to her, and sleeps in the closet that the couple meticulously arranges just to make Chibi comfortable. She plays with the narrator’s wife, and every activity they all do together is artfully articulated. But, after she passes away, they don’t see a closure of their relationship, as Chibi’s owner refuses to allow them to visit her grave. Heartbreaking!

The Guest Cat is profound, brilliantly subtle, and its prose is lyrical. I took a while to dive in, but I lost myself in it, when the narrator began explaining the beauty of their garden, the insects, and the cat — none of it belonged to the couple, the heart-rending irony. Above all, the narrator's commentary on change and loss is moving. 

Some favourite passages here:

Having played to her heart’s content, Chibi would come inside and rest for a while. When she began to sleep on the sofa — like a talisman curled gently in the shape of a comma and dug up from a prehistoric archaeological site — a deep sense of happiness arrived, as if the house itself had dreamed this scene.

I wonder where it all comes from — this need to go to the place where the body has been laid to rest. It’s the need to reconfirm how precious someone was and how irreplaceable, and the desire to reconnect with them on a different plane.

There was no doubt that Big Sister looked like Chibi. But not matter how hard you looked — on earth or in heaven — there was no cat as otherworldly and mysterious as Chibi.

All I want to know what happened — I want to somehow grasp every detail of the events of that day, that one day like a tiny dewdrop… but now it’s all engulfed in the profound darkness of time.

Farah Aisha Shabrina

not a fan of cats or other animals, but this easy-to-read book about a guest cat teaches me about compassionate for other living creatures more than i’ve ever imagined (and had) before🥺🐱 thank you, Chibi

Denaiir

this was a bit too sad for me, I knew it would proabably be quite contemplative and melancholy but it was a bit too bittersweet for me to enjoy it more than that

renni

Vou analisar em três categorias: história, ritmo e livro de gato.

1. História: é do gênero "nada acontece mas tudo acontece nesse pequeno mundo que chamamos de Livro". É uma história mundana que passa mais tempo descrevendo casas e bairro e vizinhos do que coisas realmente acontecendo. O que está acontecendo é a vida do casal mudando enquanto a vida da gata dos vizinhos muda. É lindo o relacionamento deles com a gatinha. Literalmente a coisa mais genuína do mundo. A parte que a esposa e a gatinha brigam é tão fofa e triste. Enfim, me senti como uma amiga lendo. 4,5/5

2. Ritmo: é fácil engatar porque o título intriga mas quando começa a descrever demais o Lighting Alley eu comecei a me perder. Mas é um ritmo bom sim, o autor sabe onde pesar e não pesar. 4/5

3. Livro de Gato: creio que esse se tornou um dos meus gêneros favoritos de leitura e já li o suficiente pra dizer que esse leva 5/5 no papel de história de gato. Chibi realmente foi uma personagem muito intrigante e como os personagens falavam dela me deu a sensação que eu também já a conheci (mas não tão bem quanto eles).

Em geral, livro muito bom e fofo. 4,5/5

Matthew Royal

Very traditional sort of atmospheric impressionism you see in a lot of Japanese art. Very sensitive and a good read. Thanks to my boyfriend Parry for giving me this book!

Midori Kobayashi

2/5stars


...observation is at its core an expression of love which doesn’t get caught up in sentiment.

Although the blurb made it sound like something that would become a new fav and the lyrical descriptions of Japanese literature were enchanting to read but the essence of the story at its core was just lost for me. It might be a case of "lost in translation" or maybe I just didn't connect as much as I'd have hoped. Big disappointing miss, this was.

mevi

You have to be in the right mindset and patience to read this, because even though it is poetic, it is VERY slow until half way through the book. Hiraide writes about a young couple renting a guest house overlooking a beautiful garden. Their life has become dull and full of routine.. until a cat shows up at their doorstep. The author definitely has a way with words, and for the longest time I thought this was a true story of what happened to him. This book will definitely throw you on a roller-coaster of emotions, and end up leaving you wanting more.

Cams Campbell

I saw this on the table in Waterstone's and the cover drew my attention. 'What the heck', I thought, 'it's only a short book'. So I bought it and read half of it in the queue for the ferry. It's one of those books that I think I'll have to ruminate over for a day or two, but I suspect the beauty of its prose will remain in my mind for days to come. Such a clever little story that's more about setting a mood than revealing a plot. The language is poetic and full of imagery. And I, not even a cat lover, really quite enjoyed it!

Mario Menti 

Renee Delcourt

Dani

** spoiler alert **
           Definitivamente los autores japoneses (que fui leyendo hasta ahora) no son lo mío, y lo intenté, pero son demasiado descriptivos para mi gusto, y eso que me encanta El Señor de los Anillos. 
Además en este libro me prometían gatos, y sólo lo mencionan el mínimo y el resto es la depresión de los personajes.
Felicito a los que gusten de este tipo de literatura.

The Guest Cat

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