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A review by doctorlaurentius
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was literary tedium dressed up as work of great profundity.
The five main characters were two-dimensional, but continuously reintroduced as though there were a whole host of them and the reader was liable to lose track. The aunt is both portly and kind (yes, almost every time she appears we are reminded of her weight, it is weird and uncomfortable), the main character is reclusive and lacking in confidence, etc.
The eponymous cat ‘who saved books’ is genuinely rude and unpleasant. We are told, ad nauseam, that he’s actually very regal; told, not shown. For some reason, the main character grows to like this cat and even thanks him, repeatedly, for helping him, despite the fact the cat does nothing but berate and use him for his own ends. For this cat does not, in fact, save books; the main character does. The cat does nothing but be haughty and hateful.
Neither the main character nor his friend from school seem remotely fazed by being transported to a series of labyrinths. In fact, they both take it in their stride, despite the defining trait of the main character being his lack of confidence. He solves the problem in each labyrinth by offering some vaguely philosophical sentiments which wouldn’t seem out of place in a first-year university Literature seminar. That is it, that’s the whole story - the pattern is repeated four times and then the book ends.
It is a tedious, repetitive book which feels as though it were written for young children, but isn’t. It also makes out that books are intrinsically morally good, which is hilarious given books can be on absolutely any subject, even evil ones.
The five main characters were two-dimensional, but continuously reintroduced as though there were a whole host of them and the reader was liable to lose track. The aunt is both portly and kind (yes, almost every time she appears we are reminded of her weight, it is weird and uncomfortable), the main character is reclusive and lacking in confidence, etc.
The eponymous cat ‘who saved books’ is genuinely rude and unpleasant. We are told, ad nauseam, that he’s actually very regal; told, not shown. For some reason, the main character grows to like this cat and even thanks him, repeatedly, for helping him, despite the fact the cat does nothing but berate and use him for his own ends. For this cat does not, in fact, save books; the main character does. The cat does nothing but be haughty and hateful.
Neither the main character nor his friend from school seem remotely fazed by being transported to a series of labyrinths. In fact, they both take it in their stride, despite the defining trait of the main character being his lack of confidence. He solves the problem in each labyrinth by offering some vaguely philosophical sentiments which wouldn’t seem out of place in a first-year university Literature seminar. That is it, that’s the whole story - the pattern is repeated four times and then the book ends.
It is a tedious, repetitive book which feels as though it were written for young children, but isn’t. It also makes out that books are intrinsically morally good, which is hilarious given books can be on absolutely any subject, even evil ones.