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A review by fruitbatwoman
The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I absolutely loved The Travelling Cat Chronicles, even though I pretty much cried my way to the last few chapters. This follow-up of seven short stories is written in the same emotional, tender vein, and focusses around cats in all situations of life.
The first story, "The Goodbye Cat," made me cry again right from the bat; it follows a rescue kitten through its life with its new family, as it tries to become an immortal nekomata, so that its humans won't have to cry over its passing.
In "Bringing Up Baby" a cat helps ease a new father into his role as a parent, which didn't resonate as much with me personally, but was sweet nonetheless.
"Good Father/ Bad Father" shows how cats can change people in a silent way that is not always perceivable at first.
Next to the first story, "Cat Island" was one of the strongest in this book. It mixes family drama with the spirit world and is full of human emotion.
"The Night Visitor" is a very short story, that will be familiar to every cat owner...
Lastly, "Finding Hachi" and "Life Is Not Always Kind" tell different parts of the story from The Travelling Cat Chronicles that we didn't get to experience in the first book. I loved getting a bit more insight into Satoru's journey and an event from his childhood that lead to his love for cats.
Much like its predecessor, The Goodbye Cat will warm the heart of every cat person - but if you love cats as much as I do, keep tissues ready!
The first story, "The Goodbye Cat," made me cry again right from the bat; it follows a rescue kitten through its life with its new family, as it tries to become an immortal nekomata, so that its humans won't have to cry over its passing.
In "Bringing Up Baby" a cat helps ease a new father into his role as a parent, which didn't resonate as much with me personally, but was sweet nonetheless.
"Good Father/ Bad Father" shows how cats can change people in a silent way that is not always perceivable at first.
Next to the first story, "Cat Island" was one of the strongest in this book. It mixes family drama with the spirit world and is full of human emotion.
"The Night Visitor" is a very short story, that will be familiar to every cat owner...
Lastly, "Finding Hachi" and "Life Is Not Always Kind" tell different parts of the story from The Travelling Cat Chronicles that we didn't get to experience in the first book. I loved getting a bit more insight into Satoru's journey and an event from his childhood that lead to his love for cats.
Much like its predecessor, The Goodbye Cat will warm the heart of every cat person - but if you love cats as much as I do, keep tissues ready!