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A review by chazaiya
If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i remember i got this book in like christmas 2015/16 maybe? i read and got pretty far into it, over halfway. i was in the middle of thursday's chapter when i dropped it. got no clue why i stopped reading it, especially considering that i was enjoying it, i just did.
revisiting this was good though. no doubt a flawed book, it starts slow and oftentimes overuses exposition. on occasion it felt like it was a book written for middle schoolers with its diction but with the themes i know that wasn't its intention. i could chalk it up to poor translation but there's a part in the first chapter(?) where he explains the book of genesis and then some of the story of jesus like it was everyone's first time reading this, and it's like who was the target audience when this was being written? i guess it makes sense though considering christianity isn't as widespread in japan as in the west, but it just led to clunkier writing (which was an issue throughout the book, which i'm gonna say is due to translation). there's also just some corny moments here, like when two characters bid eachother farewell by reciting popular movie quotes? come on.
regardless, as the story went on and it got heavier into its themes, Kawamura's writing became more convicted and personal. naturally this led to me getting way more into the book. the final stages of the book are truly where the book is strongest, which is of course about where i stopped reading initially lol. i don't want to get into it rn but it gets heavy and incredibly sad. it's tied up nicely with a lovely message, and while some things are left up in the air i don't mind it like that.
all-in-all this was a nice sentimental book that you could probably finish in like a day if you wanted lmao. naturally not gonna be for everyone but i enjoyed it. good with a cup of tea and some melancholy ambient music, like ruins by grouper or some shit.
revisiting this was good though. no doubt a flawed book, it starts slow and oftentimes overuses exposition. on occasion it felt like it was a book written for middle schoolers with its diction but with the themes i know that wasn't its intention. i could chalk it up to poor translation but there's a part in the first chapter(?) where he explains the book of genesis and then some of the story of jesus like it was everyone's first time reading this, and it's like who was the target audience when this was being written? i guess it makes sense though considering christianity isn't as widespread in japan as in the west, but it just led to clunkier writing (which was an issue throughout the book, which i'm gonna say is due to translation). there's also just some corny moments here, like when two characters bid eachother farewell by reciting popular movie quotes? come on.
regardless, as the story went on and it got heavier into its themes, Kawamura's writing became more convicted and personal. naturally this led to me getting way more into the book. the final stages of the book are truly where the book is strongest, which is of course about where i stopped reading initially lol. i don't want to get into it rn but it gets heavy and incredibly sad. it's tied up nicely with a lovely message, and while some things are left up in the air i don't mind it like that.
all-in-all this was a nice sentimental book that you could probably finish in like a day if you wanted lmao. naturally not gonna be for everyone but i enjoyed it. good with a cup of tea and some melancholy ambient music, like ruins by grouper or some shit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, and Death of parent