A review by imaginaryalchemist
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love, love, love this book! It’s such a beautiful, sweet story about the bond between a man and his beloved cat. Most of the story is told through the perspective of the cat, Nana, as he and his owner Satoru travel together. 

I loved Satoru as a character, he’s so kind, warm, and compassionate despite the tragic things that have happened to him. He never let it turn him bitter. He has a good heart. Everyone should try to be a bit more like him. As a fellow cat lover I felt like we were kindred spirits. 

The ending absolutely broke me.

Towards the end of the story, it’s hinted that something is wrong with Satoru. It turns out he is dying from an unnamed illness, possibly cancer, that is causing tumors throughout his body. It’s always so heartbreaking when bad things happen to such good people. 

When he was dying and Nana ran to him I broke down and sobbed like a baby. I’ve loved and lost many cats over the years, and that bond is so precious. So many people think cats are aloof and don’t care but they are capable of so much love.

I highly recommend The Travelling Cat Chronicles to anyone who has ever loved a cat! I look forward to reading Hiro Arikawa’s other novel The Goodbye Cat. It has also made me want to read more Japanese novels!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Car accident

The story starts with Nana getting hit by a car and seriously injured. He does recover fully though. When Satoru is twelve years old, his parents are killed in a car accident. It is mentioned that his childhood cat, Hachi, was hit and killed by a car. It’s also revealed that he was severely neglected and abused as a baby, and his parents were actually his adoptive parents. It doesn’t go into graphic detail it is still upsetting. The ending goes into Satoru’s terminal illness and eventual death, which again while not graphic it is very upsetting.