Charmed and Content: ‘The Quiet Truth of The Cat Who Saved Books’
“If you find it difficult, it’s because it contains something that is new to you. Every difficult book offers us a brand new challenge”
Sosuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books carries the quiet promise most books about books tend to make. This one delivers, just enough.
Sosuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books does exactly what a book about books does, it delivers just enough truth.
When Natsuki’s grandfather dies, he inherits the bookshop. A talking cat appears and promptly announces they must enter a labyrinth in order for them to save all books. And without much question, we are off. The fable-esque nature of this was both charming and comforting.
The concept and story itself is most definitely not groundbreaking. There were no massive plot twists waiting in the wings, or profound character arc surprises. But that is not a bad thing. The simplicity of this work allowed it to feel like a modern day fable. It read like one. It was direct yet symbolic, a sense of sincerity that’s hard to translate, but was done successfully.
That being said, the book was not without flaws, or more so, the experience. The audio version of this fell flat at the best of times, and demanded distraction at the worst. The narrator’s voice was dull, unemotional, and droned on. It felt a lot like listening to a pre-recorded lecture on a topic you love, but somehow it was making you fall asleep. As for the narrative, the big declarations are present, but always wrapped within the leaves of comfort.
Nevertheless, there is an earnest charm that is present and reminds us why reading matters, why words matter, and that in the end they matter because we matter. It’s far too easy to call this book average, but it probably is. And that’s sort of exactly why the message lands in the end. Because sometimes, enough is exactly that.
This book won’t change your life, but it might remind you why you started reading in the first place. And that is not nothing.
Do you have a favorite book that talks about reading, or books in general? The genere has become popular recently.