BOOK REVIEW: THE GUEST CAT BY TAKASHI HIRAIDE

In the heat of the summer (aka. the English summer that seems to have been compressed into approx. four-five days this week), I often find myself reaching for slightly lighter reads than usual. I'm the same with food to be honest; all I find tempting when the temperatures exceed 25C are cold (lukewarm at most) meals, cold fruity beverages and lots of mindless entertainment. That is not to say The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide is by any means a simplistic book.

Rather the opposite, this short novel (story? semi-biographic tale?), consisting of merely 136 pages, is a pure gem. The Guest Cat tells the story of a couple in their thirties who work at home as freelance writers and have arrived at a certain point in their relationship where they are, to put it bluntly, out of ideas and thoughts to share with one another. This, however, changes when a neighbour cat invites itself into their lives. The cat Chibi serves as a common interest between the couple, and consequently The Guest Cat in many ways reads as a pet memoir. Which it in many ways is. However, it is also lined with musings on philosophy as well as interesting thoughts on the world as a whole.

The Guest Cat is a lovely tale about a cat and its positive influence on those around it. I think Hiraide's publisher Kris Doyle says it best:

Yes, it is ostensibly about a cat, but it's more than that. It's about how to manage your relationship, how observant we are in the world, in nature. The scenes of them playing with Chibi in the garden remind us how beautiful the world can be, and how much we miss of it when we keep our heads down at work. The whole thing has a fabular quality to it.

In other words, a book not to miss.
Rating: ★★★★☆

Have you read The Guest Cat? If so, what were your thoughts on it?
If not, order yourself a copy here!