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pommegrate 's review for:
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love cats, I adore books, and I advocate for mental health. Imagine going through the bookstore to see a book about cats and mental illness, only to read it and end up with so much more.
Though short stories are rare in my library, I ADORE the book's cute and light-hearted read! It's my first exposure with Japanese literature, and have been glad it's quite an enjoyable one (I read it within a day, and would love to read it again).
There's really not much to critique other than the fact that the book would definitely be better read in the original Japanese, as there are definitely cultural references and literary and artistic choices much better understood and appreciated in the Japanese language(e.g. the name "Koyuki" that is used to name a white, fluffy kitten in the book. "Ko" would translate to "child", appropriate for the supposed descendant of Meg's cat Yuki, and "Yuki" translates to "snow", based on the snow white and fluffy fur that is used to describe for Yuki's first appearance in the book. It seems much more appreciated if you at least know a bit of Japanese than none at all). It is also unfortunate that some stories felt lackluster compared to the others, but were nonetheless still pleasant. I found the themes of magical realism and its absurdity entertaining, more so the interconnected tales that eventually ties everything into a novella. Definitely also loved that it touched dark and complex themes such as loss and mental illness.
As much as I loved this book I couldn't really give this a 5-star rating as I don't think it's exactly the best out there, but I highly recommend it. I loved Bee's chapter, more so Mimita's (I bawled), and I absolutely love the intriguing end.
Though short stories are rare in my library, I ADORE the book's cute and light-hearted read! It's my first exposure with Japanese literature, and have been glad it's quite an enjoyable one (I read it within a day, and would love to read it again).
There's really not much to critique other than the fact that the book would definitely be better read in the original Japanese, as there are definitely cultural references and literary and artistic choices much better understood and appreciated in the Japanese language
As much as I loved this book I couldn't really give this a 5-star rating as I don't think it's exactly the best out there, but I highly recommend it. I loved Bee's chapter, more so Mimita's (I bawled), and I absolutely love the intriguing end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Grief, Abandonment