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A review by nhborg
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
4.0
4.25
I’ll see if I can write out some words with all these tears in my eyes… phew.
I would say that this went from a flop to a win over the course of the book. I started out quite skeptical, as I’m used to this kind of Japanese cat-inspired literature missing the mark for me, and feeling slightly annoyed at the highly antropomorphic cat POV. However… as the story progressed, an invisible hand managed to sneak its way around my heart, culminating in an extreme tug at the heartstrings as I finished the final chapters. I really did not expect to cry this much, but I loved it for it.
I appreciated how each of the side characters were used to piece together the childhood of the main character Saturo, while also being explored on their own terms. Hiro Arikawa has an eye for subtle conflicts that can occur between humans, even if they love and care for another. And the POV of the cat Nana, while initially coming across as kind of annoying, ended up being heartwarming and funny and definitely adding a nice layer to the narration.
And last but not least, I loved the journey we went on together with Satoru and Nana, in multiple senses. The image of them traveling together and sharing witness of the world’s beauty will stick with me as a source of comfort. Overall, it also resonated well with one of my favorite quotes of all time: «You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.» (Ging Freecss, HxH).
So yeah.. that’s pretty much it. I feel like I’ll start sobbing everytime I see this book on my bookshelf now:’)
Side note:
I was about to make a «You had one job» comment about the cover (since the cat looks strikingly different from the way it’s described in the book), but turns out the graphic design researchers fell in love with this original Chinese brush painting made by an artist with cerebral palsy. So, hats off in respect.
I’ll see if I can write out some words with all these tears in my eyes… phew.
I would say that this went from a flop to a win over the course of the book. I started out quite skeptical, as I’m used to this kind of Japanese cat-inspired literature missing the mark for me, and feeling slightly annoyed at the highly antropomorphic cat POV. However… as the story progressed, an invisible hand managed to sneak its way around my heart, culminating in an extreme tug at the heartstrings as I finished the final chapters. I really did not expect to cry this much, but I loved it for it.
I appreciated how each of the side characters were used to piece together the childhood of the main character Saturo, while also being explored on their own terms. Hiro Arikawa has an eye for subtle conflicts that can occur between humans, even if they love and care for another. And the POV of the cat Nana, while initially coming across as kind of annoying, ended up being heartwarming and funny and definitely adding a nice layer to the narration.
And last but not least, I loved the journey we went on together with Satoru and Nana, in multiple senses. The image of them traveling together and sharing witness of the world’s beauty will stick with me as a source of comfort. Overall, it also resonated well with one of my favorite quotes of all time: «You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.» (Ging Freecss, HxH).
So yeah.. that’s pretty much it. I feel like I’ll start sobbing everytime I see this book on my bookshelf now:’)
Side note:
I was about to make a «You had one job» comment about the cover (since the cat looks strikingly different from the way it’s described in the book), but turns out the graphic design researchers fell in love with this original Chinese brush painting made by an artist with cerebral palsy. So, hats off in respect.