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The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
A bestseller in France and winner of Japan's Kiyama Shohei Literary Award, The Guest Cat, by the acclaimed poet Takashi Hiraide, is a subtly moving and exceptionally beautiful novel about the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living. A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife -- the days have more light and color. The novel brims with new small joys and many moments of staggering poetic beauty, but then something happens....As Kenzaburo Oe has remarked, Takashi Hiraide's work "really shines." His poetry, which is remarkably cross-hatched with beauty, has been acclaimed here for "its seemingly endless string of shape-shifting objects and experiences, whose splintering effect is enacted via a unique combination of speed and minutiae."
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First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Takashi Hiraide
8 books285 followersTakashi Hiraide was born in Moji, Kitakyushu in 1950. He has published numerous books of poetry as well as several books of genre-bending essays, including one on poetics and baseball. He has also written a novel, A Guest Cat; a biography of Meiji poet Irako Seihaku; and a travelogue that follows the traces of Kafka, Celan, and Benjamin in Berlin. His poetry book, Postcards to Donald Evans, is published by the Tibor de Nagy Foundation. Hiraide is a professor of Art Science and Poetics as well as a core member of the new Institute for Art Anthropology at Tama Art University. For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut won the 2009 Best Translated Book Award for poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,173 reviews
February 22, 2014
I'm no expert in literature, but I'd hazard a guess that any problems readers may have with this book are based in cultural differences rather than any literary failings with the book itself. The book is very Japanese in that it focuses/describes one element at a time. Its poetry is in its illustration of people, places, and things, not of events, which is pretty counter to my experience of Western literature. It's so descriptive that at many points I found myself wishing I had an iota of artistic talent to sketch out the grounds of the mansion, guest house, and garden.
The NPR description of this book as a story about a cat who brings an overworked couple together is all wrong, however. I would argue that this book is about the elusiveness of a solution to life's countless mysteries. One can never hope to grab hold of them, only to appreciate them from afar, just like the book's protagonists did with Chibi.
Furthermore, one reviewer on Amazon complained that the ending was weak. I strongly disagree: I think the book's ending masterfully illustrates how the passage of time affects us all while providing closure to its readers. Give this book a chance. Put aside your cultural blinders long enough, and you may be pleasantly surprised.
The NPR description of this book as a story about a cat who brings an overworked couple together is all wrong, however. I would argue that this book is about the elusiveness of a solution to life's countless mysteries. One can never hope to grab hold of them, only to appreciate them from afar, just like the book's protagonists did with Chibi.
Furthermore, one reviewer on Amazon complained that the ending was weak. I strongly disagree: I think the book's ending masterfully illustrates how the passage of time affects us all while providing closure to its readers. Give this book a chance. Put aside your cultural blinders long enough, and you may be pleasantly surprised.
May 23, 2025
my new favorite niche subgenre is japanese literary fiction about cats.
if my family group chat were run through a poetic writing machine, it'd be the dog version of this book.
this is 140 pages of obsession about a pet, which is excessively relatable to anyone who has ever sworn up and down their dog / cat / bird / whatever has a full and inarguable human personality if you just OBSERVE.
this is very lovely-ly written, but felt almost too relatable to me–almost to the point of bland/one note. also i caught myself comparing it to if cats disappeared from the world, which is an impossible standard.
but it was a good time!
bottom line: pets have personalities. that's it.
if my family group chat were run through a poetic writing machine, it'd be the dog version of this book.
this is 140 pages of obsession about a pet, which is excessively relatable to anyone who has ever sworn up and down their dog / cat / bird / whatever has a full and inarguable human personality if you just OBSERVE.
this is very lovely-ly written, but felt almost too relatable to me–almost to the point of bland/one note. also i caught myself comparing it to if cats disappeared from the world, which is an impossible standard.
but it was a good time!
bottom line: pets have personalities. that's it.
February 13, 2023
"I wonder where it all comes from - this need to go to the place where the body has been laid to rest. It's the need to reconfirm how precious someone was and how irreplaceable, and the desire to reconnect with them on a different plane."
A young couple in their thirties live in a small cottage in a remote part of Tokyo. They live a quiet life, working from home as copy editors. One day, their quiet way of life is unexpectedly and pleasantly interrupted by Chibi, a neighbouring cat. As the cat keeps returning, they quickly become attached and they welcome this new simple joy into their lives. But then things take a turn...
The Guest Cat, is written by acclaimed Japanese poet, Takashi Hiraide and his poetic approach to the narrative definitely comes through. Hiraide carefully describes the seasons, how two people develop their eye for detail, be it the character traits of Chibi the cat or the individual details of the nature around them. He describes the street in which the house stands, the garden with all its plants and animals, and in these details lies the meek and the beautiful. With all the Japanese works I've read so far, the connectivity of things plays such an important role and a certain melancholy always lingers.
This is a story about the fragility of life and how we mourn the loss of those to whom we give our hearts. I adored this book and cannot recommend it highly enough, to everyone. Cat lover or not.
Pure, simple, magic.
A young couple in their thirties live in a small cottage in a remote part of Tokyo. They live a quiet life, working from home as copy editors. One day, their quiet way of life is unexpectedly and pleasantly interrupted by Chibi, a neighbouring cat. As the cat keeps returning, they quickly become attached and they welcome this new simple joy into their lives. But then things take a turn...
The Guest Cat, is written by acclaimed Japanese poet, Takashi Hiraide and his poetic approach to the narrative definitely comes through. Hiraide carefully describes the seasons, how two people develop their eye for detail, be it the character traits of Chibi the cat or the individual details of the nature around them. He describes the street in which the house stands, the garden with all its plants and animals, and in these details lies the meek and the beautiful. With all the Japanese works I've read so far, the connectivity of things plays such an important role and a certain melancholy always lingers.
This is a story about the fragility of life and how we mourn the loss of those to whom we give our hearts. I adored this book and cannot recommend it highly enough, to everyone. Cat lover or not.
Pure, simple, magic.
January 15, 2021
...observation is at its core an expression of love which doesn’t get caught up in sentiment.
Those green eyes glowing in the dark ceaselessly, endowing the cover of this book with a breath of life, a dream of plenitude - those eyes were an irresistible enticement. An immediate move was imperative; The Guest Cat had to be on my shelf. Unfortunately, my expectations were far too great, especially taking into account the fact that one of the ingredients of this plot is supposed to be a couple who no longer have much to say to each other and a cat is a new bond between them. . However, I was able to overlook that curious fact because this novella has other qualities that make it a potentially enjoyable read. Hiraide's writing is an ode to the beauty of simplicity.
As an artist meticulously amalgamates the elements of nature with the essential constituents of humanity through the art of ikebana, with the same quiet harmony, carefully selected words interweave with a sensitive and thoughtful outlook on life, creating a luscious prose poem echoing the implacable passage of time.
She would always point out to us the importance of being natural, of being ourselves.
As most Japanese novels I have read, there is an exquisite attention to detail; everything and everyone are depicted with strokes of the most elegant form of poetry in which intimacy, an unusually expressive intimacy is a significant component. The simplicity of this story blends in perfectly with the sheer delicacy of Hiraide's language which flows softly, in a whisper; a gentle wave trying to reach somebody's shores and engulf them with meaningful contemplation.
What's interesting about animals, my wife explained, is that even though a cat may be a cat, in the end, each individual has its own character.
“For me, Chibi is a friend with whom I share an understanding, and who just happens to have taken on the form of a cat.”
Never such a poignantly lyrical prose sounded so familiar.
Funny, these aversions we have for certain things. It does make you wonder a bit whether it's some kind of karmic connection with a past-life experience, even if that's just a bit too weird.
Nonetheless, Hiraide's writing wasn't enough. This novella tells a lovely story but didn't resonate with me as much as I would have hoped. Highly evocative, this writer's words become palpable objects and serene sceneries, but amid copious descriptions of any architectural piece one may imagine and abundant lines – ranging from the ethereal to the mundane – regarding the couple's relationship with the cat and their surroundings, something was missing. I remember turning the last page and looking through the window, as if I could find out there, in the vast city, in the overcast skies, whatever it is that I couldn't find in this book.
Oct 09, 16
* Also on my blog.
** Photo credit: Ikebana via conyeucuaban.com
Cat and flowers via Pinterest
June 25, 2017
A spring breeze at dawn -
Takashi Hiraide's words
Like dewdrops on cat's whiskers.
***
I still can recall the expression on my students’ faces when I explained the rules of writing haiku poems to them. It was a mixture of bewilderment and incredulity. They seemed to be asking: you must be joking, it’s sure not enough to be called a poem?! I think the kids’ reaction is similar to many adults’. Especially nowadays, when we live so fast that immortalizing moments and stopping for a while just to admire cherry blossoms or to gaze at a hairy caterpillar, seem pretty eccentric activities.
I guess some readers of ‘The Guest Cat' might feel like my students because this book is similar to haiku. Its structure is different of course, as it is a short novel, actually something in between a novel an an essay, but Takashi Hiraide ponders on moments too. The narrator declares: ’I want to somehow grasp every detail of the events of that day, that one day like a tiny dewdrop . . . but now it’s all engulfed in the profound darkness of time.' Like all haiku poets, Hiraide saves moments from oblivion. As Lucien Stryk states in the introduction to 'On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho' : ‘The effect is one of spareness, yet the reader is aware of a microcosm related to transcendent unity. A moment, crystallized, distilled, snatched from time’s flow, and that is enough.’
‘The Guest Cat', full of such 'crystallized, distilled, snatched from time’s flow' moments, is a story about a childless Japanese couple in their mid-thirties who get acquainted with their neighbours’ cat, Chibi. To make things even more interesting, neither the narrator nor his wife particularly likes cats at the beginning. You probably have already figured out what happens next. As time flies, we witness the growth of their friendship with Chibi. Well, the word friendship is not the perfect choice here: as you can guess, bit by bit the cat wraps the couple around her velveteen paw. No wonder! Christopher Hitchens observes: ‘Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.’ Chibi proves that Hitchens is right.
‘The Guest Cat' shimmers with a delicate sense of humour but there are heart-breaking moments as well, full of anger and grief. The story of the cat interweaves with musings on other topics, for example literature, art, Niccolo Machiavelli, philosophy. I found the digressions interesting but I didn’t enjoy them as much as the passages on Chibi.
Takashi Hiraide's subtlety reminds me of stroking luscious, cool silk. He writes with elegance and lightness, which according to Basho, the haiku master from the 17th century, is one of the most important elements of poetry. He called it ‘karumi’. In Basho's opinion a good poem should ‘seem light as a shallow river flowing over its sandy bed.’ This is exactly the impression I had while reading ‘The Guest Cat’. It felt as if Hiraide didn't use a keyboard to write his novel but a delicate, soft brush.
By the way, Basho wrote haiku poems about cats, for instance:
’Now cat’s done
mewing, bedroom’s
touched by moonlight.'
Takashi Hiraide seems to have the sensitivity of a perceptive artist. ‘The Guest Cat’ reminded me of Japanese and Chinese paintings, which I adore. Chibi turned out to be a superb model. The images of her ‘clothed in moonlight’, rolling in the plum blossoms, sleeping on the sofa ‘like a talisman curled gently in the shape of a comma and dug up from a prehistoric archaeological site’, still stay with me. For the narrator and his wife observing Chibi is not only a sheer pleasure, it turns out to be thought-provoking also. The cat teaches them to appreciate and understand the things they paid no attention to before.
I think ‘The Guest Cat’ will be especially enjoyed by the readers who used to have a pet or are pet owners. The narrator’s wife confesses: ’For me, Chibi is a friend with whom I share an understanding, and who just happens to have taken on the form of a cat.' If you can relate to that, chances are you will like the novel by Takashi Hiraide as much as I did.
'Young Cat Sleeping Under Flowering Saxifrage' by Maruyama Ōkyo (1733-1795).
Takashi Hiraide's words
Like dewdrops on cat's whiskers.
***
I still can recall the expression on my students’ faces when I explained the rules of writing haiku poems to them. It was a mixture of bewilderment and incredulity. They seemed to be asking: you must be joking, it’s sure not enough to be called a poem?! I think the kids’ reaction is similar to many adults’. Especially nowadays, when we live so fast that immortalizing moments and stopping for a while just to admire cherry blossoms or to gaze at a hairy caterpillar, seem pretty eccentric activities.
I guess some readers of ‘The Guest Cat' might feel like my students because this book is similar to haiku. Its structure is different of course, as it is a short novel, actually something in between a novel an an essay, but Takashi Hiraide ponders on moments too. The narrator declares: ’I want to somehow grasp every detail of the events of that day, that one day like a tiny dewdrop . . . but now it’s all engulfed in the profound darkness of time.' Like all haiku poets, Hiraide saves moments from oblivion. As Lucien Stryk states in the introduction to 'On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho' : ‘The effect is one of spareness, yet the reader is aware of a microcosm related to transcendent unity. A moment, crystallized, distilled, snatched from time’s flow, and that is enough.’
‘The Guest Cat', full of such 'crystallized, distilled, snatched from time’s flow' moments, is a story about a childless Japanese couple in their mid-thirties who get acquainted with their neighbours’ cat, Chibi. To make things even more interesting, neither the narrator nor his wife particularly likes cats at the beginning. You probably have already figured out what happens next. As time flies, we witness the growth of their friendship with Chibi. Well, the word friendship is not the perfect choice here: as you can guess, bit by bit the cat wraps the couple around her velveteen paw. No wonder! Christopher Hitchens observes: ‘Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.’ Chibi proves that Hitchens is right.
‘The Guest Cat' shimmers with a delicate sense of humour but there are heart-breaking moments as well, full of anger and grief. The story of the cat interweaves with musings on other topics, for example literature, art, Niccolo Machiavelli, philosophy. I found the digressions interesting but I didn’t enjoy them as much as the passages on Chibi.
Takashi Hiraide's subtlety reminds me of stroking luscious, cool silk. He writes with elegance and lightness, which according to Basho, the haiku master from the 17th century, is one of the most important elements of poetry. He called it ‘karumi’. In Basho's opinion a good poem should ‘seem light as a shallow river flowing over its sandy bed.’ This is exactly the impression I had while reading ‘The Guest Cat’. It felt as if Hiraide didn't use a keyboard to write his novel but a delicate, soft brush.
By the way, Basho wrote haiku poems about cats, for instance:
’Now cat’s done
mewing, bedroom’s
touched by moonlight.'
Takashi Hiraide seems to have the sensitivity of a perceptive artist. ‘The Guest Cat’ reminded me of Japanese and Chinese paintings, which I adore. Chibi turned out to be a superb model. The images of her ‘clothed in moonlight’, rolling in the plum blossoms, sleeping on the sofa ‘like a talisman curled gently in the shape of a comma and dug up from a prehistoric archaeological site’, still stay with me. For the narrator and his wife observing Chibi is not only a sheer pleasure, it turns out to be thought-provoking also. The cat teaches them to appreciate and understand the things they paid no attention to before.
I think ‘The Guest Cat’ will be especially enjoyed by the readers who used to have a pet or are pet owners. The narrator’s wife confesses: ’For me, Chibi is a friend with whom I share an understanding, and who just happens to have taken on the form of a cat.' If you can relate to that, chances are you will like the novel by Takashi Hiraide as much as I did.
'Young Cat Sleeping Under Flowering Saxifrage' by Maruyama Ōkyo (1733-1795).
March 15, 2015
This is a beautiful little book. Typically Japanese with lovely lyrical descriptions. Not much happens in the book but it is very evocative and I felt a sense of loss when it was finished.
A young Japanese couple who work from home live in a tiny cottage on the edge of a larger estate in a quiet part of Tokyo. The estate has a beautiful old traditional Japanese garden which they are allowed to use by the old couple living in the big house. One day a stray cat is adopted by their neighbours who named her Chibi, meaning 'little one'.
"Chibi was a jewel of a cat. Her pure white fur was mottled with several lampblack blotches containing just a bit of light brown. The sort of cat you see just about anywhere in Japan, except she was especially slim and tiny."
The young couple become enamoured by this tiny, graceful cat and try to entice her into their house. She quickly becomes a regular visitor and soon has them under her spell with her dainty ways and playful nature.
The couple know their tenure in the cottage will come to an end in a few months as the old couple in the big house are becoming frail and the estate will be put on the market to be bulldozed and turned into flats. In the meantime they enjoy using the garden, especially when Chibi is around to play and enjoy it with them. A very charming and touching story of how a little cat brought meaning to the lives of a young couple. 4.5★
A young Japanese couple who work from home live in a tiny cottage on the edge of a larger estate in a quiet part of Tokyo. The estate has a beautiful old traditional Japanese garden which they are allowed to use by the old couple living in the big house. One day a stray cat is adopted by their neighbours who named her Chibi, meaning 'little one'.
"Chibi was a jewel of a cat. Her pure white fur was mottled with several lampblack blotches containing just a bit of light brown. The sort of cat you see just about anywhere in Japan, except she was especially slim and tiny."
The young couple become enamoured by this tiny, graceful cat and try to entice her into their house. She quickly becomes a regular visitor and soon has them under her spell with her dainty ways and playful nature.
The couple know their tenure in the cottage will come to an end in a few months as the old couple in the big house are becoming frail and the estate will be put on the market to be bulldozed and turned into flats. In the meantime they enjoy using the garden, especially when Chibi is around to play and enjoy it with them. A very charming and touching story of how a little cat brought meaning to the lives of a young couple. 4.5★
February 19, 2017
(2.5) Sigh. Such a disappointment. As a cat-loving freelance writer who aspires to read more literature in translation, I thought from the blurb that this book could not be more perfect for me. I bought it in a charity shop one afternoon and started reading right away. It’s only 140 pages, so I finished within 24 hours, but felt at a distance from the story the whole time.
Part of it might be the translation – the translator’s notes at the end explain some useful context about the late 1980s setting, but also conflate the narrator and the author in such a way that the book seems like an artless memoir rather than a novella.
But the more basic problem for me is that there’s simply not enough about the cat. There’s plenty of architectural detail about the guesthouse the narrator and his wife rent on the grounds of a mansion, plenty of economic detail about the housing market…but the cat just doesn’t make enough of an impression.
I’m at a bit of a loss to explain why this has been such a bestseller.
(See also my blog post on Five Books about Cats.)
Part of it might be the translation – the translator’s notes at the end explain some useful context about the late 1980s setting, but also conflate the narrator and the author in such a way that the book seems like an artless memoir rather than a novella.
But the more basic problem for me is that there’s simply not enough about the cat. There’s plenty of architectural detail about the guesthouse the narrator and his wife rent on the grounds of a mansion, plenty of economic detail about the housing market…but the cat just doesn’t make enough of an impression.
I’m at a bit of a loss to explain why this has been such a bestseller.
(See also my blog post on Five Books about Cats.)
October 9, 2019
“Observation is at its core an expression of love which doesn’t get caught up in sentiment.”
From first page’s delicate description of an optical illusion seen on a frosted window pane, this novella painstakingly documents minute and admiring observations, one object at a time. Nature features strongly: the cat, trees, butterflies, insects, but also windows and boundaries. The focus is on poetic beauty in the moment (like haiku), without shadow of sentiment, even when there is good cause for strong emotion.
I’m not a fan of sentimentality, but the narrator’s precise and clinical prose gave the impression of detachment, even when the words themselves suggested otherwise. I think that is why I was not as emotionally engaged as I wanted to be: I was looking at the patterns of his story as shadows through a knothole onto a frosted window pane, “like a dim movie screen”.
Loving the Unattainable
Cats tend to own people, rather than the other way round.
The main love object is Chibi: un- or not-quite-attainable because she’s a cat, exacerbated by her living with neighbours the other side of the alley. The narrator and his wife are her secondary humans.
All the other attachments (apart from the narrator to his wife) have a degree of unattainability as well. There is a hole at the heart, in the heart, of this little book, and maybe in me as well.
“By moving away, we also would be joining sides with those who forget.”
But maybe that’s for the best - especially if your love is without sentiment, or is unattainable.
Why Not More Stars?
There is beautiful imagery, and there are recurring themes (the guest cat, and the narrator living in the guesthouse of a larger estate; boundaries; windows; a zelkova tree; insects, and lightning), and Chibi is virtually mute.
I felt there was significance over the horizon, just beyond my awareness and understanding, grasp though I did for it.
The final chapter was unexpected and a little odd: . Huh?
It’s also worth mentioning that there is not as much about Chibi as hardcore felinophiles might want. And for some strange reason, we’re told that the narrator’s wife “felt very close to animals” - except that she “viscerally disliked”... ducks!
On the other hand, I love the picture on the cover, and the small format and thick paper of my copy felt delightfully suitable.
Quotes
• “Its branches... spread unhindered [and] extended their luxuriant fingers… providing all with the blessing of its leafy protection.”
• “The cat’s manner of rejection was like cold, white light.”
• Chibi sleeping “like a talisman curled gently in the shape of a comma and dug up from a prehistoric archaeological site - a deep sense of happiness arrived, as if the house itself had dreamed this scene.”
• Chibi entered their lives “as if a silken opening in a fabric had been continuously moistened and stretched… But at the same time… something else was closing in and pressing itself against that tendency.” Fate.
• “Everything timed to the rhythm of illumination and concealment” - in a chapter almost entirely devoted to windows.
• “The full moon shone through the glass eaves above us with their slits like a bamboo screen, so that the image was drawn out, flowing there like a milky white river.”
• A dragonfly “took flight then and approached the stream of [hose] water in midair, kissing it like a precision machine.”
• “It seemed as if the boundary between the two households had itself come into question.”
• “How much we see through colored glasses” - but we only realise when it’s too late. (This is about everything looking “dreary and drab” after loss.)
• “The word ‘to grieve’ or ‘lament’ in Japanese is actually made up of two different kanji characters - ‘sadness’ and ‘resentment’.
From first page’s delicate description of an optical illusion seen on a frosted window pane, this novella painstakingly documents minute and admiring observations, one object at a time. Nature features strongly: the cat, trees, butterflies, insects, but also windows and boundaries. The focus is on poetic beauty in the moment (like haiku), without shadow of sentiment, even when there is good cause for strong emotion.
I’m not a fan of sentimentality, but the narrator’s precise and clinical prose gave the impression of detachment, even when the words themselves suggested otherwise. I think that is why I was not as emotionally engaged as I wanted to be: I was looking at the patterns of his story as shadows through a knothole onto a frosted window pane, “like a dim movie screen”.
Loving the Unattainable
Cats tend to own people, rather than the other way round.
The main love object is Chibi: un- or not-quite-attainable because she’s a cat, exacerbated by her living with neighbours the other side of the alley. The narrator and his wife are her secondary humans.
All the other attachments (apart from the narrator to his wife) have a degree of unattainability as well. There is a hole at the heart, in the heart, of this little book, and maybe in me as well.
“By moving away, we also would be joining sides with those who forget.”
But maybe that’s for the best - especially if your love is without sentiment, or is unattainable.
Why Not More Stars?
There is beautiful imagery, and there are recurring themes (the guest cat, and the narrator living in the guesthouse of a larger estate; boundaries; windows; a zelkova tree; insects, and lightning), and Chibi is virtually mute.
I felt there was significance over the horizon, just beyond my awareness and understanding, grasp though I did for it.
The final chapter was unexpected and a little odd: . Huh?
It’s also worth mentioning that there is not as much about Chibi as hardcore felinophiles might want. And for some strange reason, we’re told that the narrator’s wife “felt very close to animals” - except that she “viscerally disliked”... ducks!
On the other hand, I love the picture on the cover, and the small format and thick paper of my copy felt delightfully suitable.
Quotes
• “Its branches... spread unhindered [and] extended their luxuriant fingers… providing all with the blessing of its leafy protection.”
• “The cat’s manner of rejection was like cold, white light.”
• Chibi sleeping “like a talisman curled gently in the shape of a comma and dug up from a prehistoric archaeological site - a deep sense of happiness arrived, as if the house itself had dreamed this scene.”
• Chibi entered their lives “as if a silken opening in a fabric had been continuously moistened and stretched… But at the same time… something else was closing in and pressing itself against that tendency.” Fate.
• “Everything timed to the rhythm of illumination and concealment” - in a chapter almost entirely devoted to windows.
• “The full moon shone through the glass eaves above us with their slits like a bamboo screen, so that the image was drawn out, flowing there like a milky white river.”
• A dragonfly “took flight then and approached the stream of [hose] water in midair, kissing it like a precision machine.”
• “It seemed as if the boundary between the two households had itself come into question.”
• “How much we see through colored glasses” - but we only realise when it’s too late. (This is about everything looking “dreary and drab” after loss.)
• “The word ‘to grieve’ or ‘lament’ in Japanese is actually made up of two different kanji characters - ‘sadness’ and ‘resentment’.
November 3, 2014
I really really wanted to like this book, but I found it entirely forgettable. I think this might be an example of something being "lost in translation", since much of the profound nature of Asian literature seems to get wiped away in English versions. The prose was poetic and lyrical nonetheless, and I got a very vivid picture of the lives of the couple and their interactions with the cat. But as the plot developed I lost the connection to the philosophical and metaphorical, and at the end of the book I wasn't really sure what the point was, or what I was supposed to take away. Maybe I read this book to fast and need to read it again, or maybe I need to take a Japanese literature class to understand the deeper layers of the book.
April 14, 2024
Leio pouca Literatura Japonesa talvez pela estranheza dos costumes sociais num mundo cada vez mais globalizado. Sinto sempre um mal-estar como aconteceu com o penúltimo, «A Polícia da Memória».
Neste «O Gato Que Nos Visitou» procurava eu uma semelhança com um cão que nos visitava e pertencia a uns amigos vizinhos e tudo acabou num grande desgosto. Se encontrei o que pretendia? Talvez.
Um casal a meio dos seus trinta anos e não ansiando por ter filhos começa a ser visitado por um gato, que, na verdade era uma gata, chamada Chibi, pêlo branco com manchas de tom castanho-acinzentado.
A gata apareceu na vida deste casal em 1988 entre o fim do Outono e o início do Inverno e gradualmente começou a entrar dentro de casa através de uma fenda de uma janela ligeiramente aberta.
Outros gatos aparecem mas não é um livro sobre felinos; é sobre o destino, o fluxo do destino, as casas que ocupamos, o que é ou não verdadeiramente nosso.
Maquiavel afirmava que mais da metade da nossa vida é regida pelo destino, enquanto a restante fica ao critério da força que lhe resiste; ainda segundo o autor de «O Príncipe», o destino é um rio que pode transbordar a qualquer momento provocando fracassos e destruições. É possível alterar o percurso de um rio?
Escreve o autor deste livro que nem Maquivel com a sua sagacidade e Leonardo da Vince com a sua genialidade foram capazes de desviar as águas do rio Arno.
É um livro com várias camadas que necessitarei de reler na certeza que sempre irei encontrar gotículas que se encontram escondidas na escuridão da memória.
O que fazer quando temos um desgosto? Como mitigar a tristeza? Permanecer ou arrumar a vida em caixas de cartão e mudar?
Neste «O Gato Que Nos Visitou» procurava eu uma semelhança com um cão que nos visitava e pertencia a uns amigos vizinhos e tudo acabou num grande desgosto. Se encontrei o que pretendia? Talvez.
Um casal a meio dos seus trinta anos e não ansiando por ter filhos começa a ser visitado por um gato, que, na verdade era uma gata, chamada Chibi, pêlo branco com manchas de tom castanho-acinzentado.
A gata apareceu na vida deste casal em 1988 entre o fim do Outono e o início do Inverno e gradualmente começou a entrar dentro de casa através de uma fenda de uma janela ligeiramente aberta.
Outros gatos aparecem mas não é um livro sobre felinos; é sobre o destino, o fluxo do destino, as casas que ocupamos, o que é ou não verdadeiramente nosso.
Maquiavel afirmava que mais da metade da nossa vida é regida pelo destino, enquanto a restante fica ao critério da força que lhe resiste; ainda segundo o autor de «O Príncipe», o destino é um rio que pode transbordar a qualquer momento provocando fracassos e destruições. É possível alterar o percurso de um rio?
Escreve o autor deste livro que nem Maquivel com a sua sagacidade e Leonardo da Vince com a sua genialidade foram capazes de desviar as águas do rio Arno.
É um livro com várias camadas que necessitarei de reler na certeza que sempre irei encontrar gotículas que se encontram escondidas na escuridão da memória.
O que fazer quando temos um desgosto? Como mitigar a tristeza? Permanecer ou arrumar a vida em caixas de cartão e mudar?
July 27, 2016
OK, I admit it. I love cats and I was snookered into this one mainly by the cover and the review wasn't bad at all. It's kind of like buying wine by the label...if it's cute, I buy it! Boy, can you get stuck! In this case, once again, I got stuck. I just didn't get it! It was NOT at all what I was hoping for. Didn't like the writing, didn't like the setting (very confusing descriptions), the characters were less than interesting and the cat was not appealing at all! That's saying a lot from a cat lover! I don't recommend it, even for die hard cat lovers...
February 21, 2025
The definition of no plot, all vibes. Descriptive writing evokes strong images of a Japanese garden tucked away in a backyard in Shinjuku, home to a bohemian couple of writers who inadvertently 'adopt' their neighbors cat. Over the years in which the cat treats their guesthouse on the property as a sort of second home, they develop an attachment to her that fundamentally changes them. It's simple, sweet and beautifully written. Told in vignettes that mostly revolve around the cat, but also the couples' life and vocations, the story unfolds slowly and with ease, taking you on a journey that, while confined in space to this walled garden and guesthouse, transcends time and barriers for anyone that's ever had a pet or experienced that unconditional connection between human and animal.
May 23, 2014
"It's best to go empty-handed…"
An almost perfect little book, as delicate as a netsuke. Its tale is simple – a young bohemian couple is adopted by a neighbor's cat, who is treated as a guest, not a pet.
I like that.
The prose is crafted, elegant without being showy. In part this is due to the skill of its translator Eric Selland, but it must be the essence of the book itself. Takashi Hiraide is best known as a poet, and The Guest Cat reads like a poet's journal. I can't think of a better way to praise it.
An almost perfect little book, as delicate as a netsuke. Its tale is simple – a young bohemian couple is adopted by a neighbor's cat, who is treated as a guest, not a pet.
Chibi was a jewel of a cat. Her pure white fur was mottled with several lampblack blotches containing just bit of light brown. The sort of cat you might see just about anywhere in Japan, except she was especially slim and tiny.I didn't realize until I'd almost finished the book that "Chibi" appears throughout, but that humans – including the young writer and his poet wife – are never named. There is a friend, referred to as "Y." Otherwise (so far as I recall) everyone is anonymous: the old woman; the neighbor; my wife. A few names appear toward the end, but these are all cats.
I like that.
The prose is crafted, elegant without being showy. In part this is due to the skill of its translator Eric Selland, but it must be the essence of the book itself. Takashi Hiraide is best known as a poet, and The Guest Cat reads like a poet's journal. I can't think of a better way to praise it.
November 18, 2022
japanese books with cats as a central element of the story gotta be one of my favorite genres
November 8, 2016
“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.”
----James Herriot
Takashi Hiraide, a Japanese writer, has penned a soul touching and thoroughly captivating tale about a cat and a couple's relationship in his book, The Guest Cat that is centered around a mid aged couple who are freelance writers and work from their rented cottage and lead a very quite and uneventful life, but one day their life brings purpose as an uninvited as well as the neighbor's cat lands up to their kitchen and starts visiting their household religiously everyday and gradually brings joy and happiness to their quiet life. Although happiness is long lived in this couple's life, as a tragic event shakes them to their very core.
Synopsis:
A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo. They work at home as freelance writers. They no longer have very much to say to one another.
One day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. She is a beautiful creature. She leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. New, small joys accompany the cat; the days have more light and colour. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife; they go walking together, talk and share stories of the cat and its little ways, play in the nearby Garden. But then something happens that will change everything again.
The Guest Cat is an exceptionally moving and beautiful novel about the nature of life and the way it feels to live it.
A middle aged couple who works as freelance writer has been living in a small rented house attached to a palatial cottage owned by an old age couple and that cottage has huge gardens filled with lush trees and flowers. This mid-aged couple's life is not that eventful and most of the time they pass their days without much talking among one another. But then one fine day, their lives are filled with a purpose when a guest cat, the cat of their neighbor's, visits their household and start visiting them day after day, fixing her daily routine among the couple's life. Gradually the man and the wife start discussing about the cat's habits and cute little activities of the cat among one another as their lives are fulfilled with greater joy that the cat manged to bring within no time, but this happiness is short lived with the changing politics and the rising economy, as the land prices began to soar up, the owners of the palatial cottage decide to sell the whole property with an ultimatum given to that mid-aged couple, but for them it is not easy to part with that female guest cat, and as another shocking tragic event strikes up in their lives, which completely destroys every ounce of happiness that they felt for all those times when they were surrounded by that cat.
A warm meow to all my fellow cat lovers. Here's the book that you've been yearning to read for ages now, grab a copy now and lose yourselves in the cuteness of the cat named Chibi (meaning, little one) who will fill up your hearts with happiness and will bring a clam feeling just by reading about her daily activities. Chibi is no ordinary cat, she can instantly make you folks crazy for her charm, her cleverness and her naughtiness. She is a package of fur(n) ball that you would desire to cuddle up with whole day. So without wasting a second, simply get your hands on this book NOW.
The writing style of the author is extremely evocative and thoughtfully layered with hear felt emotions that will make the readers contemplate with the story's emotional side strikingly. The narrative is articulate, pleasing and is laced with perfect emotions that sync well with the story's mood. The dialogues are enriched with the heavy Japanese flair even though the story has been translated into English. There are quite a few underlying stories that support the main story line, still the pacing is quite fast as the readers will find themselves being swayed from the then Japanese political and socio-economical changes and the season changes to the cat's daily habits amidst the low hum drum of the couple's life.
The backdrop of the story line, that is portrayed through the subtle color of the landscapes of rural Japan, is vividly captured and depicted through a lyrical prose that will not only make the readers feel the atmosphere and the seasons in the air but will also make them able to visually imagine each and every scenes unfolding right before their eyes. The landscapes of this rural town just a few miles away from the big city, Tokyo is strikingly painted through its streets, the flora as well as the fauna, the weather, the people, the livelihood of those folks, the architecture of the houses, the financial conditions and the local staple food. The author manages to bring alive this town through the narration of the protagonist and amidst the tales of this cute little naughty cat.
The characters are extremely well drawn and developed through few layers, especially the character of the wife is arrested through quite a few layers and the readers will project her as a humble, down-to-earth yet complex lady, whose many layers are unraveled through her straight forward yet thoughtful demeanor. The main protagonist, the writer, is a strong character whose resolute voice reads like a soothing balm on the readers' hearts. The cat too has a personality of its own, like how the cat is clever enough to keep the humans especially the couple eager to make them hear the sound of her voice, how she never lets the couple touch her or pet her, how she is clever enough to know the exclusive entry made for her to the couple's house and how she plays with the ping pong ball is enough to fill the readers' hearts with glowing happiness from inside out. even the supporting characters like the old lady, the friend of the author, the neighbors are also well crafted out from scratch who are not only real but are also very interesting.
In a nutshell, this is a must read story not only for cat lovers but also for those who enjoy a well developed literary tale with a Japanese flavor.
Verdict: Chibi, the cat, simply steals the show, which is a fur ball wrapped in intense cuteness.
Courtesy: Thanks to the BiblioBox for picking out this book for their October theme.
----James Herriot
Takashi Hiraide, a Japanese writer, has penned a soul touching and thoroughly captivating tale about a cat and a couple's relationship in his book, The Guest Cat that is centered around a mid aged couple who are freelance writers and work from their rented cottage and lead a very quite and uneventful life, but one day their life brings purpose as an uninvited as well as the neighbor's cat lands up to their kitchen and starts visiting their household religiously everyday and gradually brings joy and happiness to their quiet life. Although happiness is long lived in this couple's life, as a tragic event shakes them to their very core.
Synopsis:
A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo. They work at home as freelance writers. They no longer have very much to say to one another.
One day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. She is a beautiful creature. She leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. New, small joys accompany the cat; the days have more light and colour. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife; they go walking together, talk and share stories of the cat and its little ways, play in the nearby Garden. But then something happens that will change everything again.
The Guest Cat is an exceptionally moving and beautiful novel about the nature of life and the way it feels to live it.
A middle aged couple who works as freelance writer has been living in a small rented house attached to a palatial cottage owned by an old age couple and that cottage has huge gardens filled with lush trees and flowers. This mid-aged couple's life is not that eventful and most of the time they pass their days without much talking among one another. But then one fine day, their lives are filled with a purpose when a guest cat, the cat of their neighbor's, visits their household and start visiting them day after day, fixing her daily routine among the couple's life. Gradually the man and the wife start discussing about the cat's habits and cute little activities of the cat among one another as their lives are fulfilled with greater joy that the cat manged to bring within no time, but this happiness is short lived with the changing politics and the rising economy, as the land prices began to soar up, the owners of the palatial cottage decide to sell the whole property with an ultimatum given to that mid-aged couple, but for them it is not easy to part with that female guest cat, and as another shocking tragic event strikes up in their lives, which completely destroys every ounce of happiness that they felt for all those times when they were surrounded by that cat.
A warm meow to all my fellow cat lovers. Here's the book that you've been yearning to read for ages now, grab a copy now and lose yourselves in the cuteness of the cat named Chibi (meaning, little one) who will fill up your hearts with happiness and will bring a clam feeling just by reading about her daily activities. Chibi is no ordinary cat, she can instantly make you folks crazy for her charm, her cleverness and her naughtiness. She is a package of fur(n) ball that you would desire to cuddle up with whole day. So without wasting a second, simply get your hands on this book NOW.
The writing style of the author is extremely evocative and thoughtfully layered with hear felt emotions that will make the readers contemplate with the story's emotional side strikingly. The narrative is articulate, pleasing and is laced with perfect emotions that sync well with the story's mood. The dialogues are enriched with the heavy Japanese flair even though the story has been translated into English. There are quite a few underlying stories that support the main story line, still the pacing is quite fast as the readers will find themselves being swayed from the then Japanese political and socio-economical changes and the season changes to the cat's daily habits amidst the low hum drum of the couple's life.
The backdrop of the story line, that is portrayed through the subtle color of the landscapes of rural Japan, is vividly captured and depicted through a lyrical prose that will not only make the readers feel the atmosphere and the seasons in the air but will also make them able to visually imagine each and every scenes unfolding right before their eyes. The landscapes of this rural town just a few miles away from the big city, Tokyo is strikingly painted through its streets, the flora as well as the fauna, the weather, the people, the livelihood of those folks, the architecture of the houses, the financial conditions and the local staple food. The author manages to bring alive this town through the narration of the protagonist and amidst the tales of this cute little naughty cat.
The characters are extremely well drawn and developed through few layers, especially the character of the wife is arrested through quite a few layers and the readers will project her as a humble, down-to-earth yet complex lady, whose many layers are unraveled through her straight forward yet thoughtful demeanor. The main protagonist, the writer, is a strong character whose resolute voice reads like a soothing balm on the readers' hearts. The cat too has a personality of its own, like how the cat is clever enough to keep the humans especially the couple eager to make them hear the sound of her voice, how she never lets the couple touch her or pet her, how she is clever enough to know the exclusive entry made for her to the couple's house and how she plays with the ping pong ball is enough to fill the readers' hearts with glowing happiness from inside out. even the supporting characters like the old lady, the friend of the author, the neighbors are also well crafted out from scratch who are not only real but are also very interesting.
In a nutshell, this is a must read story not only for cat lovers but also for those who enjoy a well developed literary tale with a Japanese flavor.
Verdict: Chibi, the cat, simply steals the show, which is a fur ball wrapped in intense cuteness.
Courtesy: Thanks to the BiblioBox for picking out this book for their October theme.
March 13, 2025
*Tomé prestado este libro de la biblioteca del novio de mi hermana solo por el hecho de que su nombre y portada daban cuenta de un gato como foco central de la trama.
La historia es sencilla, igual que su narración tranquila, que pareciera transportar al lector al pasaje principal donde transcurre todo: un matrimonio joven se va a vivir muy lejos de Tokio, en un barrio de casas antiguas. Allí, un gato vecino cruza a diario hasta su casa, gato que, aunque no se deja tocar ni levantar, les demuestra en pequeños detalles de su comportamiento que los quiere.
Y ahí radica la belleza de la novela, en apreciar cómo Chibi (así se llama el gato) les agarra cariño al matrimonio y viceversa.
Es una lectura de una tarde, pero que te marca mucho más que unas pocas horas, sobre todo si tienes gatos a los que ves cruzar delante de ti conforme avanzas en sus páginas.
La historia es sencilla, igual que su narración tranquila, que pareciera transportar al lector al pasaje principal donde transcurre todo: un matrimonio joven se va a vivir muy lejos de Tokio, en un barrio de casas antiguas. Allí, un gato vecino cruza a diario hasta su casa, gato que, aunque no se deja tocar ni levantar, les demuestra en pequeños detalles de su comportamiento que los quiere.
Y ahí radica la belleza de la novela, en apreciar cómo Chibi (así se llama el gato) les agarra cariño al matrimonio y viceversa.
Es una lectura de una tarde, pero que te marca mucho más que unas pocas horas, sobre todo si tienes gatos a los que ves cruzar delante de ti conforme avanzas en sus páginas.
June 21, 2015
for cross-cultural reasons this was a challenging read; I still struggle with the ending, particularly.
The sentence structure and carefully pruned language are sublime and I simply loved the experience of reading the story. Seeing the settings come alive was like watching someone paint in front of me. However I was always aware I was only seeing the surface of the story, missing everything underneath. The translator's notes at the back helped a great deal, and I need to re-read now.
Highly recommended.
The sentence structure and carefully pruned language are sublime and I simply loved the experience of reading the story. Seeing the settings come alive was like watching someone paint in front of me. However I was always aware I was only seeing the surface of the story, missing everything underneath. The translator's notes at the back helped a great deal, and I need to re-read now.
Highly recommended.
April 2, 2018
Appreciate the ephemeral, that is, everything in your life.
June 13, 2014
There's no way to be sure just how much the translator is responsible for my not liking this book, but he may be a large part of the reason I finally took the book back to the library about two-thirds of the way through it. The early promise of simple elegance never gets beyond precious word choice, soggy subtlety, and vapid characters. I was aching for light and color, for a heartbeat that never came.
June 28, 2020
Upozorenje broj 1: Ne uzimajte ovu knjigu u ruke ako ne volite mačke.
Upozorenje broj 2: Čitanje započinjete na sopstvenu odgovornost ako previše volite mačke i osetljivi ste na njih i njihove tužne sudbine.
Ja spadam u ovu drugu kategoriju i nekoliko puta sam bila na ivici suza, jer mi se slična situacija dogodila pre nekoliko godina.
Naime, roman je napisan u 1. licu i priča prati mladi bračni par u čiju se kuću useljava komšijska mačka Ćibi. Nikada nisu ostvarili kontakt sa njom, uvek ostaje neka vrsta misterioznog bića sa drugog sveta, ali im se lagano uvlači pod kožu i život bez nje postaje izlišan. Svideli su mi se elementi misterioznog i magijskog, koji se vezuju za lik mačke.
Roman se da pročitati za jedno posle podne i svakako mu treba dati šansu.
Upozorenje broj 2: Čitanje započinjete na sopstvenu odgovornost ako previše volite mačke i osetljivi ste na njih i njihove tužne sudbine.
Ja spadam u ovu drugu kategoriju i nekoliko puta sam bila na ivici suza, jer mi se slična situacija dogodila pre nekoliko godina.
Naime, roman je napisan u 1. licu i priča prati mladi bračni par u čiju se kuću useljava komšijska mačka Ćibi. Nikada nisu ostvarili kontakt sa njom, uvek ostaje neka vrsta misterioznog bića sa drugog sveta, ali im se lagano uvlači pod kožu i život bez nje postaje izlišan. Svideli su mi se elementi misterioznog i magijskog, koji se vezuju za lik mačke.
Roman se da pročitati za jedno posle podne i svakako mu treba dati šansu.
May 29, 2023
A sweet set of observations on the transience of existence and the way cats own people rather than the other way around. I lacked a clear impulse or conclusion to the book
By moving away, we also would be joining sides with those who forget
A fast read, meditative in nature, on a couple living in a changing Japan at the end of the 1980s. The emperor is dying, large homeowners are dying out as well, and the idylle the couple has translating works in the garden of a large estate is drawing to a close. A cat offers some playfulness and warmth in another wise quite sterile book. Even the wife of the narrator doesn’t come into focus much.
Nature is much more the main character of the book in a way, with beautiful reflections on dragonflies, mantis, cicadas and trees. Baseball and the deflation of the Japanese economy in the early 1990s form part of the tale, but the attachment to the cat, besides a rather random Machiavelli chapter, form the main focus of the book.
Everything changes, but the need for connection with nature remains constant in this book.
By moving away, we also would be joining sides with those who forget
A fast read, meditative in nature, on a couple living in a changing Japan at the end of the 1980s. The emperor is dying, large homeowners are dying out as well, and the idylle the couple has translating works in the garden of a large estate is drawing to a close. A cat offers some playfulness and warmth in another wise quite sterile book. Even the wife of the narrator doesn’t come into focus much.
Nature is much more the main character of the book in a way, with beautiful reflections on dragonflies, mantis, cicadas and trees. Baseball and the deflation of the Japanese economy in the early 1990s form part of the tale, but the attachment to the cat, besides a rather random Machiavelli chapter, form the main focus of the book.
Everything changes, but the need for connection with nature remains constant in this book.
June 16, 2017
This story takes place in Japan in the 1980s. The couple, one a freelance writer the other a proof-reader and editor, work from home. Over time communication decreases between them as they are involved in their solitary work. One day a neighbor’s cat wanders into their home. Chibi begins to make regular visits to them. The cat brings them small pleasures that allow them to reconnect with each other.
The book is extremely well written. It is short only three and a half hours long (140 pages). The style of the writing and the story is Japanese. The translation of the book from Japanese to English appears to be excellent. Unless the reader has had exposures to Japanese writing, it might be difficult to totally enjoy the subtle parts of the story. Characteristic of Japanese writing the philosophical passages and literary reference are quite simple and sparse. The descriptions are beautiful and even lyrical; the vivid prose keeps everything flowing. The prose is focused on the people and places not the events. The cat, Chibi, is the center of the narrative. Typical of a Japanese story the simplicity belies a depth that is executed in a subtle way. I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle, thoughtful and subtly profound work. The author, Takashi Hiraide, is a Japanese poet.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. David Smith does a good job narrating the story. Smith is a voice over artist and audiobook narrator.
The book is extremely well written. It is short only three and a half hours long (140 pages). The style of the writing and the story is Japanese. The translation of the book from Japanese to English appears to be excellent. Unless the reader has had exposures to Japanese writing, it might be difficult to totally enjoy the subtle parts of the story. Characteristic of Japanese writing the philosophical passages and literary reference are quite simple and sparse. The descriptions are beautiful and even lyrical; the vivid prose keeps everything flowing. The prose is focused on the people and places not the events. The cat, Chibi, is the center of the narrative. Typical of a Japanese story the simplicity belies a depth that is executed in a subtle way. I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle, thoughtful and subtly profound work. The author, Takashi Hiraide, is a Japanese poet.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. David Smith does a good job narrating the story. Smith is a voice over artist and audiobook narrator.
January 24, 2021
5 stars
Japanese literature is very much different from English literature. The Japanese seem to write a whole book about a subject without ever directly speaking of it. Their fiction appears to take on an average everyday story, while in fact relating something much different. And amazingly it is easy for different people to read totally different underlying topics within the very same stories.
For me The Guest Cat was all about death. Not only does Chibi, the wandering cat, die in the story, but so many other things move towards death also. The main couple of the story are suffering through what could have been a dying marriage. The garden between the houses ends up withering and dying. The elderly couple, the landlords, pass on. The copulation of the skimmer, signaling the delicate balance between life and death. The fence begins to decay and falls down. The loss of being able to mourn at Chibi's grave site. The neighbors move away from the house next door. The guest house is vacated. And finally after moving, and then walking back, the couple sees that both the houses are gone and there lays a fallow field. Everything gone, as though it did not exist, dead.
Although I have not read a lot, I very much enjoy Japanese literature. I especially like the short stories, like this one, that stay with one or two main themes embedded in an average everyday story. A longer book is usually much heavier and sometimes has several themes making it harder to find and translate. I think the translator did a very good job of translating this book from Japanese to English and still maintaining the nuance of the story. I found this story to be very enjoyable - however should I read it again I am sure I would be directed towards another theme that undoubtedly runs through it.
So goes the wonders of Japanese literature.
Japanese literature is very much different from English literature. The Japanese seem to write a whole book about a subject without ever directly speaking of it. Their fiction appears to take on an average everyday story, while in fact relating something much different. And amazingly it is easy for different people to read totally different underlying topics within the very same stories.
For me The Guest Cat was all about death. Not only does Chibi, the wandering cat, die in the story, but so many other things move towards death also. The main couple of the story are suffering through what could have been a dying marriage. The garden between the houses ends up withering and dying. The elderly couple, the landlords, pass on. The copulation of the skimmer, signaling the delicate balance between life and death. The fence begins to decay and falls down. The loss of being able to mourn at Chibi's grave site. The neighbors move away from the house next door. The guest house is vacated. And finally after moving, and then walking back, the couple sees that both the houses are gone and there lays a fallow field. Everything gone, as though it did not exist, dead.
Although I have not read a lot, I very much enjoy Japanese literature. I especially like the short stories, like this one, that stay with one or two main themes embedded in an average everyday story. A longer book is usually much heavier and sometimes has several themes making it harder to find and translate. I think the translator did a very good job of translating this book from Japanese to English and still maintaining the nuance of the story. I found this story to be very enjoyable - however should I read it again I am sure I would be directed towards another theme that undoubtedly runs through it.
So goes the wonders of Japanese literature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 11, 2017On me čeka, on me verno čeka, na vratima jedna njuuuška meka...
Ok, ovaj uvodni kič preuzet je iz "Srećnih ljudi", serije koja se, GLE ČUDA, premijerno reprizira na javnom servisu po šurnajsti put. Elem, moram da priznam da mi upravo taj uvodni kič daje dobar šlagvort za kratak osvrt na "Gošću", romančić koji je prethodnih dana pazarilo bar 79256278934256 mojih GR i IG kontakata, prvenstveno zahvaljujući preslatkoj mački na koricama, I guess.
Da nastavimo: Život teče, a vreme nas gazi...peva Aljoša Vučković u Srećnim ljudima, dok mu brk podrhtava od muke u nadi da je honorar za snimljene epizode makar dobar, a Hiradeov roman jeste upravo to - ne priča o jednoj slatkoj mački, nego priča o onim prelomnim trenucima u životu, kada se nešto bespovratno promeni, i nikada ništa više ne bude isto kao pre. Sigurno smo svi, na ovaj ili onaj način, imali neke takve trenutke u životu. Kada se selimo u drugi grad, kada prelazimo na drugo radno mesto, kada gubimo nekoga koga volimo, ili kada, naprosto, globalna situacija melje živote svih nas na nekom širem planu i mi možemo samo da ćutke posmatramo kako jedna po jedna, stvari koje su nam bile prijatna navika - jer upravo to je očit znak svake promene - prekid navika u koje smo svi ušuškani - nestaju.
I guramo tako, dan za danom, stvari oko nas se menjaju, malo po malo, i što bi Calvin i Hobbes zaključili, svaki dan je isti, a odjednom shvatiš da je sve drugačije. I onda, suočeni sa promenom, lamentiramo nad malim stvarima koje su činile taj život navika, malim stvarima koje oblikuju svakodnevnicu koja nestaje. A u životu bračnog para iz knjige, mačka Čibi je upravo najsnažniji simbol jednog kratkog perioda u kom su se usudili da neke stvari u svom životu prihvate kao takve, da oko njih oblikuju svoj život, da se usude da budu srećni i da im bude u tim izabranim navikama ugodno.
Sa Čibi, nije otišlo samo jedno malo stvorenje "poput bisera", već i čitav jedan dom koji su zajedno sagradili, sa odlaskom Čibi, došla je PROMENA.
E, sad, životariš tako celog veeekaaa, a kod kuće niko te ne čekaaa (ajde Aljoša mrš iz moje glave), disparitet između japanskog i balkanskog mentaliteta je više nego očit, i tu leži najveća kvaka ove knjige. Spomenuh negde lamentiranje - o, Bogo moj - lamentiranje je blaga reč. Generalno gledano, melanholija nije moja šolja sakea, a žal za mlados' mi leži samo kad Bora Stanković opisuje kako gazda Mitke sebi razbija flaše rakije o glavu, pa bih se suzdržala od komentara na ponašanje pojedinih likova ove knjige, da me ne bi neko optužio kako sam drvoseča bez tananog osećaja za suptilno obožavanje pupoljaka šljivinog cveta.
Summa summarum: delikatno i zanimljivo, ali lako zaboravljivo štivo. Aj u Teslu da ću za 10 dana zaboraviti o čemu se radi.
Ok, ovaj uvodni kič preuzet je iz "Srećnih ljudi", serije koja se, GLE ČUDA, premijerno reprizira na javnom servisu po šurnajsti put. Elem, moram da priznam da mi upravo taj uvodni kič daje dobar šlagvort za kratak osvrt na "Gošću", romančić koji je prethodnih dana pazarilo bar 79256278934256 mojih GR i IG kontakata, prvenstveno zahvaljujući preslatkoj mački na koricama, I guess.
Da nastavimo: Život teče, a vreme nas gazi...peva Aljoša Vučković u Srećnim ljudima, dok mu brk podrhtava od muke u nadi da je honorar za snimljene epizode makar dobar, a Hiradeov roman jeste upravo to - ne priča o jednoj slatkoj mački, nego priča o onim prelomnim trenucima u životu, kada se nešto bespovratno promeni, i nikada ništa više ne bude isto kao pre. Sigurno smo svi, na ovaj ili onaj način, imali neke takve trenutke u životu. Kada se selimo u drugi grad, kada prelazimo na drugo radno mesto, kada gubimo nekoga koga volimo, ili kada, naprosto, globalna situacija melje živote svih nas na nekom širem planu i mi možemo samo da ćutke posmatramo kako jedna po jedna, stvari koje su nam bile prijatna navika - jer upravo to je očit znak svake promene - prekid navika u koje smo svi ušuškani - nestaju.
I guramo tako, dan za danom, stvari oko nas se menjaju, malo po malo, i što bi Calvin i Hobbes zaključili, svaki dan je isti, a odjednom shvatiš da je sve drugačije. I onda, suočeni sa promenom, lamentiramo nad malim stvarima koje su činile taj život navika, malim stvarima koje oblikuju svakodnevnicu koja nestaje. A u životu bračnog para iz knjige, mačka Čibi je upravo najsnažniji simbol jednog kratkog perioda u kom su se usudili da neke stvari u svom životu prihvate kao takve, da oko njih oblikuju svoj život, da se usude da budu srećni i da im bude u tim izabranim navikama ugodno.
Sa Čibi, nije otišlo samo jedno malo stvorenje "poput bisera", već i čitav jedan dom koji su zajedno sagradili, sa odlaskom Čibi, došla je PROMENA.
E, sad, životariš tako celog veeekaaa, a kod kuće niko te ne čekaaa (ajde Aljoša mrš iz moje glave), disparitet između japanskog i balkanskog mentaliteta je više nego očit, i tu leži najveća kvaka ove knjige. Spomenuh negde lamentiranje - o, Bogo moj - lamentiranje je blaga reč. Generalno gledano, melanholija nije moja šolja sakea, a žal za mlados' mi leži samo kad Bora Stanković opisuje kako gazda Mitke sebi razbija flaše rakije o glavu, pa bih se suzdržala od komentara na ponašanje pojedinih likova ove knjige, da me ne bi neko optužio kako sam drvoseča bez tananog osećaja za suptilno obožavanje pupoljaka šljivinog cveta.
Summa summarum: delikatno i zanimljivo, ali lako zaboravljivo štivo. Aj u Teslu da ću za 10 dana zaboraviti o čemu se radi.
January 24, 2023
No clue why this author called this book "The guest cast" because he writes more about his guest house, the surroundings and the lifestyle. Also the book said it would go about his relationship with his wife what was on rocky roads, I have to say there was little to no mention. The characters weren't built either. So I have to conclude this was a boring read and not what it would be according to the flap.
March 22, 2021
What a beautiful, sad, beautiful novel.
November 26, 2023
I love cats but didn't love this book
February 1, 2024
"What's interesting about animals, my wife explained, is that even though a cat may be a cat, in the end, each individual has its own character."
The Guest Cat follows two writers who work from home as freelance editors as their neighbor's cat invites herself into their home. We watch as the cat, Chibi, begins to worm her way into their lives and hearts of this young couple. Takashi Hiraide really does something incredible in making the mundane enchanting. Chibi truly is such a prominent character in this book as we see her perfectly cat like interactions with everything throughout the days and weeks and months.
"I wonder where it all comes from - this need to go to the place where the body has been laid to rest. It's the need to reconfirm how precious someone was and how replaceable, and the desire to reconnect with them on a different plane.
The backdrop of this story is 1989/90 Tokyo, where the cost of living is exponentially increasing and, due to unforeseen circumstances, our main couple has to move out of their rental. We watch as they try their best to find somewhere near this cat that isn't theirs to take, but prices have raised so much that it's impossible to live much of anywhere - let alone nearby. We watch as two stories, one of a cat and her neighbors and the other of the natural areas of the world come to a close as houses are torn down to make room for expensive condominiums.
This is a simple yet poignant book about what it means to love and to lose. It is bittersweet and beautiful.
The Guest Cat follows two writers who work from home as freelance editors as their neighbor's cat invites herself into their home. We watch as the cat, Chibi, begins to worm her way into their lives and hearts of this young couple. Takashi Hiraide really does something incredible in making the mundane enchanting. Chibi truly is such a prominent character in this book as we see her perfectly cat like interactions with everything throughout the days and weeks and months.
"I wonder where it all comes from - this need to go to the place where the body has been laid to rest. It's the need to reconfirm how precious someone was and how replaceable, and the desire to reconnect with them on a different plane.
The backdrop of this story is 1989/90 Tokyo, where the cost of living is exponentially increasing and, due to unforeseen circumstances, our main couple has to move out of their rental. We watch as they try their best to find somewhere near this cat that isn't theirs to take, but prices have raised so much that it's impossible to live much of anywhere - let alone nearby. We watch as two stories, one of a cat and her neighbors and the other of the natural areas of the world come to a close as houses are torn down to make room for expensive condominiums.
This is a simple yet poignant book about what it means to love and to lose. It is bittersweet and beautiful.
June 19, 2020
As a cat lover and with good reviews I was interested to read this book. It was not quite as I expected because there was not a lot of story in it but a gentle tale of how a little cat entered the hearts of a Japanese couple who seemed to have a pretty sterile life. It chose to spend what seemed half its life with them and when it died they realised how much it had inhabited their lives and being. It is all so typical of how these independent little creatures become so lovable and part of a family but it is true that they are the ones who chose where they want to spend their time.
January 21, 2015
I am completely rubbish at reviews but I could not put this little book down! I became so absorbed in the Japanese couple's life and how they adored the cat. The way the book is written is poetic and very descriptive, so much so that you can paint a vivid image in your mind of how their home looks, how the garden looks and so on. I genuinely just really enjoyed myself reading this delightful book.
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