Number 41 - the Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide

 

I chose this randomly as a cheat read since it's only 140 pages. It also has a cat on the cover.  That will make me pick books up randomly/  My standards are not always the highest.

Sadly, despite me being a huge cat lover, this book doesn't quite cut the mustard.

The story is basically two writers semi adopt the neighbour's cat that comes to visit. That's it. No drama, not much of anything at all.  140 pages of a man talking about his life in the year that a cat would pop into their garden and house from next door.

The prose is pretty enough for a translation. But it's all just a little bit dull. I didn't find any real hidden depths in this.  Not many shallows either.  A few semi-connected musings on the nature of art and nature crop in. 

The best thing about this book is the cute cat picture on the cover. 

The reviews on the back talk about how profound and moving it is and how you'll want to read it more than once. I disagree. I hoped to lve this book.  I'm a huge cat lover myself, and this book occasionally gives a vague peak into why we like cats, but mostly it doesn't pull on any of my personal heartstrings.  

Pleasant but dull is the best I can say about this one I'm afraid. 5/10 just for the occasional semi-poetic writing.