ARIKAWA Hiro : The travelling cat chronicles

Nana the cat is on a road trip. He is not sure where he's going or why, but it means that he gets to sit in the front seat of a silver van with his beloved owner, Satoru. Side by side, they cruise around Japan through the changing seasons, visiting Satoru's old friends. He meets Yoshimine, the brusque and unsentimental farmer for whom cats are just ratters ; Sugi and Chikako, the warm-hearted couple who run a pet-friendly B&B ; and Kosuke, the mournful husband whose cat-loving wife has just left him. There's even a very special dog who forces Nana to reassess his disdain for the canine species.

But what is the purpose of this road trip ? And why is everyone so interested in Nana ? Nana does not know and Satoru won't say. But when Nana finally works it out, his small heart will break...

This was a very enjoyable read, poignant at times. At first, I was a little taken aback by the author's writing style, very simple, even familiar. Maybe because this story is told by a cat ? It left me unaware and drew Satoru's story by little touches here and there that led to how the book ended - very emotional ! 

 

Satoru's visits to his friends enables us to retrace his own life, his past, the happy and sad events he went through that helped him build his inner strength, kindness and optimism and make them shine even more. He genuinely cares for people, he understands the weaknesses and fears of others, he brings complete strangers to each other in friendship. 

 

And there is Nana, of course, the cat, more than a shadow of Satoru's previous cat, Hachi. He has a good heart, dearly loves Satory but would rather be caught dead than showing it ! Everybody who's owned by a cat will find many traits of our dear furry companions here.

 

It was a darling of a novel, at the same time gutwrenching (I bawled at the end) and heartwarming because of its positivity.