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A review by jaredt
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
An adventure lead by a cat to save books is also about the introspection of grief over a love one who has passed.
A shut-in who can't express his grief, can't move forward, is pushed to by a talking cat. The cat wants to save books, and uses Rintaro to get that mission done, but there's more to it. The cat wants Rintaro to save books, who is leaving the bookshop his grandpa ran, who raised Rintaro and died pretty recent.
This is a story of Rintaro on an adventure, and how being pushed out of his shell changes him along the way. How he remembers his grandpa, the routine he had, the love he put into the bookshop.
This is a good book to see how grief can essentially stop a person, especially if they're already someone who keeps to themself. And for that kind of person to slowly step out of that corner when nudged. In this case, it was Rintaro's love of books and his grandpa that helped push him see the folks around him, cat included, who want him to grow and find his place.
This is not an over the top adventure, and Rintaro isn't some hero character. He has a passion, and its that passion that fuels him to change instead of stop completely.
I liked the story overall. It took me a while to get through it, and it wasn't until Sayo's integration into the plot did I feel more engaged. The cat was definitely a highlight, though I wish we got more time sitting with the cat's thoughts and feelings. It felt more like a tool used to support Rintaro verses another character, but I still enjoyed their presence when they were there.
A short story, a speck of introspection, and while I felt kinda ehh about the overall message on books with what they used to represent in the past compared to now, I think it had a decent message overall in regards to connection and support.
A shut-in who can't express his grief, can't move forward, is pushed to by a talking cat. The cat wants to save books, and uses Rintaro to get that mission done, but there's more to it. The cat wants Rintaro to save books, who is leaving the bookshop his grandpa ran, who raised Rintaro and died pretty recent.
This is a story of Rintaro on an adventure, and how being pushed out of his shell changes him along the way. How he remembers his grandpa, the routine he had, the love he put into the bookshop.
This is a good book to see how grief can essentially stop a person, especially if they're already someone who keeps to themself. And for that kind of person to slowly step out of that corner when nudged. In this case, it was Rintaro's love of books and his grandpa that helped push him see the folks around him, cat included, who want him to grow and find his place.
This is not an over the top adventure, and Rintaro isn't some hero character. He has a passion, and its that passion that fuels him to change instead of stop completely.
I liked the story overall. It took me a while to get through it, and it wasn't until Sayo's integration into the plot did I feel more engaged. The cat was definitely a highlight, though I wish we got more time sitting with the cat's thoughts and feelings. It felt more like a tool used to support Rintaro verses another character, but I still enjoyed their presence when they were there.
A short story, a speck of introspection, and while I felt kinda ehh about the overall message on books with what they used to represent in the past compared to now, I think it had a decent message overall in regards to connection and support.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
In relation to death of parent, this is more of death of 'grandparent', who took on the role of parent to raise Rintaro. The death has already happened in the opening of the book, and is integral to the disposition of the main character. The nature of the death is also looked back on a bit further in to the story.