From the Bookshelf of Bound Together…

The Guest Cat

Takashi Hiraide,

Eric Selland (Translator)

Start date: December 20, 2020

Finish date: January 31, 2020

Discussion: 2025 January

Why we're reading this: Members Choice for Jan 2021
Thanks Pallavi
[close] Members Choice for Jan 2021
Thanks Pallavi

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What Members Thought

Jan 11, 2021 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it really liked it

Shelves: another-ctry-book-or-author, animals, 300-350-pages-minus-plus, translation, cultural

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 5 stars

Japanese literature is very much different from English literature. The Japanese seem to write a whole book about a subject without ever directly speaking of it. Their fiction appears to take on an average everyday story, while in fact relating something much different. And amazingly it is easy for different people to read totally different underlying topics within the very same stories.

For me The Guest Cat was all about death. Not only does Chibi, the wandering cat, die in the story, bu ...more

24 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2021 Martha☀ rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, cultural, audiobook, translated

Chibi is a pretty stray cat who has an enormous impact on a young Japanese couple who are renting a small guest house on a large estate. Although she belongs to the neighbour's son, Chibi lives a double life and goes where she chooses, as cats do. After spending some time trying to befriend and entice Chibi by playing ball with her and making their home easily accessible to her, the young couple find that they have restructured their lives around her comings and goings. She is never far from the ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2020 Ruby Grad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Unfortunately, although I had really looked forward to reading this book, I didn't enjoy it. It might have been the translation, but I found the style quite spare and, apart from descriptions of the garden and Chibi, there was little to stir the imagination. And plot points are brought up and then dropped again without explanation. I didn't really learn anything about the characters or see them develop as people, which is something I look for in fiction. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2021 Irene rated it liked it

This novella is the story of a young couple who becomes emotionally attached to their neighbor’s cat. I have read reviews that describe themes of ownership, the transient nature of life, identity, etc. Apparently, I am a more shallow reader because all I found was a gentle story about a couple and their affection for a cat. The writing was clear and crisp, a pleasure to read.

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2021 Akhila rated it really liked it

4.5 *

A wonderful book that I found by chance in the library. I love reading these short books with stories that stay with us forever..

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Jan 09, 2021 Pat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Delightful, well written short novel! Loved it!

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Jan 11, 2021 Mandy rated it liked it

This was an enjoyable short read. To me, it was about the simple moments in life that make a big impact. It was a lovely story about a relationship with a special cat. I recently lost my cat, so this struck home to me. It was beautiful. 3.5 stars

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