If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura

This magical realism novel became an international bestseller with its balance of heartwarming and profound elements. I didn't enjoy it much, but I remain thinking about the questions it raised.

At thirty, the doctor informs him his persistent cold is actually a stage 4 brain tumor. Over the next week, he is distracted from his sadness by the Devil himself, appearing as his doppelgänger, wearing Ray-Bans and a loud Hawaiian shirt. Dude! He's told his time is actually up, but he can continually extend his life one extra day by eliminating something from the world. Humans have created many unnecessary things—advertising flyers and chocolate—but it should be something bigger, like cellphones. Even the Devil draws the line on delicious chocolate. The next day he awakens to find people talking to each other or reading instead of scrolling their phones. People get used to the new and don't remember what they are missing.

Also, his cat Cabbage is now speaking with a posh English accent.

The next item could be coffee or movies - prompting him to recall his ex-girlfriend who works in a cinema and a friend who runs a video store, reminding him of time spent together over films. This becomes less about the things in your life than the memories created with others. He remembers the time Cabbage spent with his mother while she was dying, regrets the estrangement with his father, and reminisces about a hot spring trip they all took together.

What are your favorite things you cannot do without? What do you value in life? This did raise those questions, but the comic idea of the Devil speaking like a surfer dude nicknamed Aloha didn't hit it for me. Nor did the talking cat. I guess it depends on your level of fantasy.

You must forget some things in life in order to move on, and this opened the door for the reader to ponder what matters to them. Interesting.

2012 (translated 2019) / Hardcover / 168 pages