A review by joymargot
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide

3.0

I read this years ago and remembered absolutely nothing about it, but I’ve been on a bit of a Japanese-books-with-cats-on-the-covers spree recently and picked up a another copy.

Since reading it for the first time, I have adopted and had to say goodbye to my feline soulmate so I found the sadder moments all the more difficult,

especially the neighbours’ refusal to let them pay their respects to Chibi and the ambiguous implication that the book ends on.

With that said, it’s a cosy and charming “slice of life” novella but I’d say it focuses more on home and the passage of time than cats. If you’re looking for a more feline-focussed cosy Japanese read, I highly recommend “She and Her Cat” by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa.