Written by Hiro Arikawa
Translated by Philip Gabriel
Published in English language: October 23, 2018
Published by Berkley
The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a wonderful story in translation about a man and his cat, or perhaps a cat and his man.
In the beginning of the story, we meet a stray cat who is approached by a man. The story begins with the cat as the narrator. The tone is delightfully exactly the sort of attitude you would expect from a cat.
The man, Sartoru, takes in the cat, names it Nana, which means seven in Japanese for the way his tail is crooked like the number. Then, we skip ahead a few years to follow Sartoru and Nana as they go on a journey to visit old friends.
The reason for the journey is somewhat obscure at the beginning. Sartoru is unable to keep Nana and hopes to find a new home for his cat. In the meantime, we learn Sartoru's life story as he visits friends from the past.
The novel alternates points of view between the the cat and omniscient flashbacks.
This is a sweet book that will likely evoke smiles and tears. It is fairly short at 288 pages and definitely worth a read.
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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