Review: 'If Cats Disappeared From The Word' by Genki Kawamura
If you could make something disappear for one more day of life would you? What if those things were the very items that connected you, that linked you to everyone you loved, that shaped you into who you are...
Review:
*DISCLAIMER* No cats are harmed in this book
The puuur-fect evening read...
This is a fantastic book. Genki weaves a wonderful story, linking everyday stories, memories of the past, with mullings over the things that really matter in life.
A CATastrophic discovery...
The books main character - the narrator - receives an unexpected diagnosis that he is going to die - and soon - while still in the prime of his life.
Leaving the doctors is a blur - thoughts were swirling around his head, and as he finds his way home he is left with a question - what next?
What would you do if you knew you didn't have long left? See the sights you have always wanted to? Fall in love? Stay with those you care for most?
He tries to create a bucket list, but so many of the things seem pointless when your end is near - how do you decide whats most important?
Feline lost, confused...
That's when the Devil turns up, wearing his face, but so different to him - and make him an offer that you can't say no to. In exchange for one day of life, the Devil will make something disappear from the world. The only catch - the devil gets to choose what that thing is...
A paw-sibility for life...
Over the next few days, our narrator agrees to make a number of things disappear - phones, movies, clocks all cease to exist in the world.
Before they disappear, he gets one last use of these items. Who would be the last person you call? What would be the last film you ever see? As these things disappear day-by-day, Genki explores the value of the things in our lives. Things that we rely upon now - like phones and time - are not vital, but they shape us and connect us in a way that you don't realise until they are gone. Reuniting with his first love, our narrator finds himself rediscovering his past and of how the things he has made disappear shaped his life.
From phones, how they provide security, comfort, and can build connections in ways you don't face-to-face, to the movies that shape people's lives and give comfort in all kinds of situations.
But then - the Devil made his fourth choice. He wants to make cats disappear from the world.
What does your cat mean to you? Or any kind of pet? These animals shape who you are, rely on you, protect you. They provide comfort when you need, love you unconditionally - could you remove them from the world?
The devil gives our narrator extra time to think on this. Can he give up Cabbage, his pet, his companion, his housemate? His last connection with his mother.
As he thinks about whether he can do this, take cats away from the world, we go on a journey through his past and his relationship with his cats. From the kitten his mum found and brought home when he was a boy, Lettuce, to the devastation felt at Lettuce's death and the joy at Cabbage's appearance.
As we explore his past, his fondest memories, our narrator finds his answer - and discovers what he needs to do before he dies.
Synopsis:
What would you sacrifice for an extra day of life?
The Devil picked that moment to announce in his usual cheerful manner the next item he'd make disappear.
I couldn't think about anything anymore, so I said yes just like that.
At that point, the though it could happen to my cat Cabbage has never crossed my mind....
This young man's days are numbered. estranged from his family, living alone with just his cat Cabbage for company, he is unprepared for the doctor's diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer; in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. and so begins a very bizarre week...
Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil out narrator will take himself - and his beloved cat - to the brink.
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