The Cat Who Saved Books - Sosuke Natsukawa

 

Description

Grandpa used to say it all the time: books have tremendous power. But what is that power really?

Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.

After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .

The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others – and the tremendous power of books. Sosuke Natsukawa's international bestseller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

Review

This book reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland. There's certainly some life lessons within it's pages and the same need to suspend belief.

I love books and those set in Japan, but really this could have been set anywhere as only a few Japanese references are made. Rintaro lives with his grandfather in a bookshop. Sadly his Grandfather just passed away and so Rintaro must leave the bookshop and go to live with an Aunt he doesn't even know. That is until a talking cat appears in the bookshop, and asks Rintaro to go with him on several missions to save books from people who are mistreating their books. 

As Rintaro goes with the cat  each time, it becomes clear that he's not only saving books but he's saving himself too. He's also putting into practice some of the wisdom his Grandfather passed onto him that he's never really understood until now.

A magical book with that Japanese feel of an other unworldly realm. This is a book for adults but at times it read more like a YA novel and I think someone in that category could certainly read and enjoy this book. I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.