“If Cats Disappeared From The World”: Beautiful Easy Read

Perfect for a quiet rainy Sunday

From time to time, I return to Japanese contemporary novels as my comfort reads.

“If Cats Disappeared From the World” by Genki Kawamura is one of those books:

It’s a very short book about a thirty-year old postman diagnosed with terminal illness, with very little time left to live. He lives with his cat and has no meaningful relationships — only exes. His mother passed away a few years ago, and he’s estranged from his father (as he explains, for no specific reason; they were simply two very different people who grew apart).

Then the devil appears and convinces the main character that he can extend his life by one day each time he removes something from the world.

The devil explains that humans cling to too many things, so it shouldn’t be a problem to eliminate some of them in exchange for extending a person’s life.

And so the main character “removes” several things, like movies or phones, but struggles when the devil demands that cats disappear.

This is a beautiful read that makes you reflect on what truly matters in life. Some parts felt a bit cheesy for me — like the portrayal of the god and the devil, which had an almost comical tone. Still, it’s a perfect book to slow down with on a Sunday.

I don’t post book reviews without a beer recommendation — it’s just what I do.

Today’s beer is a classic IPA Hazy Jane by the Scottish brewery Brewdog 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

You could say Brewdog is one of the most popular Scottish craft breweries abroad (even though I know they’ve had some controversies around their public image and branding strategies).

This Hazy Jane was enjoyed in a camper van on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands. Since it’s our first year living in Scotland, we’ve tried to explore the Highlands as much as possible, and this camper van trip was so very picturesque and special.