If given the chance to live one more day for the exchange of one item while death is on your doorstep; would you do it? If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura is a literary short fantasy novel filled with humor, sadness, and optimism while also expressing themes such as loss of regret and appreciating the small things.
The nameless narrator is our main character who is on the brink of death when recently diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and is told he only has one more day to live. Almost immediately after being told the news, a familiar looking man appears; the new entity confidently admits to being the “Devil” who disguised himself as the narrator, but in a more “cool” and “laid back” look, as if ready for summer. Because of his tropical apparel, the narrator begins to refer to him as “Aloha” for the duration of the story. Aloha didn’t just visit him for a regular stopping by type of ordeal. Aloha came prepared with a very alluring, unlimited proposition: one more day for one item wiped from the face of the earth.
Throughout the story, the narrator reflects on the last 29 years of his life thinking about how much of a waste it’s really been, and the amount of wasted potential he had. We see flashbacks, memorabilia, and certain aspects of his life that came back to him in his final moments. We also see and encounter new characters along the journey such as his cat, Cabbage, his nameless ex-girlfriend, and Tsutaya, his best friend, who is also a movie fanatic.
As each chapter comes to an end, the narrator returns back to his original dilemma: what to get rid of next. Although apprehensive, he first eliminates telephones, then moves onto movies, clocks, then… cats. This is a novel for anyone of any age or lifestyle as it is extremely relatable for all and provides a new prospective on life. Overall, this book was a 10/10 with no more than 200 pages making this a perfect bite-sized book then anyone could read in a blink!
