The Goodbye Cat.
Credit: Special Arrangement
The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa is a poignant collection of seven stories that beautifully unravel cats’ profound impact on our lives, transcending the boundaries of companionship and delving into the realms of love, kindness, and empathy.
Arikawa skillfully weaves narratives that capture the essence of human connections through the lens of feline pet-parent relationships. Each story unfolds with a laidback charm — a distinct feature of modern Japanese domestic fiction. The book explores the unique ways in which cats become catalysts for transformative experiences, and it is both heartwarming and introspective.
As a cat person, when you go from one story to another, you can’t help but reminisce about your fond memories involving cats of all shapes and sizes, reminding you of how and when you fell in love with cats in the first place, the lone cat who became your travel companion on vacation, and the first pet you lost.
It took me back to when I was 14. I stumbled upon a tiny, lost kitten near home. With pleading eyes, it clung to my leg, forging an unspoken bond. Suki — the grey tabby with the most mystical blue eyes — made me go from never wanting a pet as a child to adopting as many cats as I could. Albeit at the cost of facing the wrath of my ‘no pets allowed’ parents.
Be it Suki, Simba, Chikoo or Gingu — the adorable balls of fur that made their way into my life — each one had something to teach me. And this is what you get to relive through The Goodbye Cat.
Cats inevitably become teachers of life’s virtues. Their purrs resonate with empathy, echoing a silent understanding. While love blossoms in shared moments, their whims instil patience. Through their gentle vulnerability, they teach you kindness. Arikawa has successfully encapsulated this in 200-odd pages. The book has been translated by Philip Gabriel. The stories told from either the cats’ perspective or the humans’, are mostly realistic, with a bit of magical realism sprinkled about. The first story, which gives the collection its name, describes a family of four and their two cats over 20 years. It is one of the most heartbreaking stories in the collection — a definite tear-jerker. The other stories involve a married couple simultaneously dealing with a newborn baby and kitten, a grumpy man and his amusing relationship with cats, a boy’s difficulty in accepting his father’s new wife after the death of his mother, and a hungry pet. If you’re familiar with Arikawa’s previous work ‘The Travelling Cat Chronicles’, you’ll find familiar characters in the last two chapters, as they provide more insight into Saturo’s life. While some might make you cry, each story will make you fall in love with your cat a little more.
Jimbocho is a monthly column where we sift through popular Japanese books. Often called the ‘town of books’, Jimbocho is a neighbourhood in Tokyo that celebrates Japan’s rich literary heritage. Send your suggestions to the reviewer on X @asra_mavad