Sosuke Natsukawa - The Cat Who Saved Books

Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone...
The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others - and the tremendous power of books. Sosuke Natsukawa's international best seller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

Comment: This is one more buddy read pick and we've decided on it since we both like books about bookshops and books with cats. This Japanese trend is quite in point, then, so we were interested in seeing how this one would go.

Rintaro Natsuki is a young man, who prefers to be alone and without many responsibilities, but he is suddenly confronted with a big task. His beloved grandfather has died and now Rintaro needs to deal with his old bookshop, which proves to be a challenge and he fears he will need to close it. Then, something incredible happens and a tabby cat, whose name is Tiger, shows up one day and starts talking to him! Rintaro cannot believe it but he finds himself having a conversation with the cat and it seems this is happening for a reason: Rintaro needs to embark on a quest to solve three tasks related to books, and perhaps this will help him save his grandfather's bookshop. But is Rintaro ready to leave his comfort zone?

I think this might the fourth or fifth book I now try where the cat and bookshop combination is a premise for the whole story. I find both things comforting, and imagining myself in a bookstore (or library) with a cat sleeping nearby seems very dreamy and cute.

Thus, after a few books - I know it cannot be a good enough ratio - I can kind of see that the trend is understandable, there's something almost magical about these types of books. I have also concluded that there is a certain formula, let's call it that, for these plots and the characters in these books, which means, of course, that a writer's voice and/or talent might be the differentiating point in why some books feel stronger than others for readers. Personally, this one was cute but didn't go beyond average.

I say this because while it does include all the usual details (reserved protagonist, melancholic thoughts, a cat, books, reference to books, a certain task that needs to be done...) the organization of the plot didn't wow me. The structure is pretty similar to others, there's this division of the story into tasks which the main character has to accomplish, and what lessons he learns in the process. The book is also short - the tendency seems the same in this as well - which means it can be very easy to read this in a short period of time. For me the issue is that I didn't really care much about Rintaro and the sequence of situations never grabbed me.

Almost unconsciously, I can't help but compare this to my favorite book, so far, that includes cats in a story by a Japanese author. That other book, by author Hiro Arikawa, was heartfelt, emotional, so incredibly sweet and devastating that I see myself comparing even if the themes aren't the same. I missed those feelings in this book, I was never emotionally driven by what was happening and I think this detachment didn't help me in appreciating the lessons Rintaro is learning. By needing to help certain people and their relationship with books, this is supposed to make him see the importance of his grandfather's bookshop, but I wasn't particularly moved by Rintaro's journey.

Another element I wish would have been given more relevance was the cat's presence. Since the author chose to give him a voice, I kind of expected him to have a greater role but sadly, Tiger the cat wasn't a very likable cat. I think this lacked the charm and the cuteness I tend to imagine all books with cats should have, which might be a "me" problem, but yes, it was a slight letdown.

Thinking about this book as a whole, in spite of the great messages it is supposed to convey, I've found the reading experience to be boring. I know, it sounds unfair and I do feel bad about it, since it contains elements I claim to love, but there it is. I get what the point of the novel was, I get it that it has certain cultural references that aren't as easy to think of sometimes if one is in a different country for instance (Rintaro is an introvert and his behavior is pretty much a thing in Japan, as the translator mentions in a note at the end), but the overall effect wasn't one I feel I can really cherish. This is interesting, yes, but didn't really impress me.

Grade: 6/10