The Goodbye Cat, by Hiro Arikawa

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

Back with a review of The Goodbye Cat, by Hiro Arikawa, which is a book I got for Christmas- finally got around to reading it. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my review. 

Title: The Goodbye Cat 

Author: Hiro Arikawa

Genre: Contemporary 

Release date: 12/10/2023

Status: Standalone

Blurb: "I heard this heavy sniffing sound. 

Then a brush of whiskers. 

When I opened my eyes, Tom was lounging 

on his side, gazing at me. 

His black eyes were urging me to Get up!

He led me to the living-room cupboard. 

I'm hungry, so bring out some snacks! he said. 

It was 3.a.m."

My Thoughts

Okay! What did I think of this book?

Every story held it's own. You know when you read a series of novellas, or short stories, like Blackout, or Let It Snow, and you prefer some stories to others? Yeah, that didn't happen with this- quite the opposite in fact- I wanted to keep reading every single time I started another story. 

Some had the same characters, at different points in their life, with a different cat, others were short and completely unrelated. But all of them moved me, made me feel something. 

There were seven short stories in total, ranging from under 10 pages, to approximately 50. All in all, under 250 pages, but with seven wonderful, well-written stories about a national treasure- cats. 

In these stories, through the seasons of Japan, we meet Spin, a kitten found in a dustbin, whose simple needs teaches an anxious man how to care for his coming child; an island colony of cats teaches a boy not to stand in nature's way; Kota, hatches a plan to become a spirit, so him and his owner can be together forever. 

I love the way Hiro is able to change the tone, the feeling of the story in the way he words a sentence. She has such a light, easy-to-read writing style, you can't help but get engrossed in the stories. 

From this unique perspective, you read about friendship, rivalry, truth, hunger, abandonement, grief, loss, happiness, love, amongst other themes. Sometimes the stories are from the POV of the cats, and other stories, humans, and it was an absolute pleasant to read from both. 

I think this is a book that everyone should pick up- whether they like cats, Japan, both or neither, because it truly is a heart-warming, joyous book.

Absolutely loved. 5 stars.  

Okay! That's my review for The Goodbye Cat! I hope you enjoyed it, feel free to comment whether you enjoyed it, if you've read the book yourself, and what you thought about it! 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx