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| The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. Published 2021. |
The Cat Who Saved Books is a fantasy about a boy in a bookstore. In reading this tale, I learned a new word: hikikomori. It means a person who wishes for social isolation and who wants to spend their life alone. Evidently this Japanese word has been adopted into English.
Rintaro, the boy in the book, repeatedly refers to himself as a hikikomori. For example:
"There was only so much a high school kid could do after all. He wasn’t a superhero—he was just some moody, gloomy bookworm who happened to make his way to Wonderland. Although this time he could take credit for navigating his way through a series of complicated discussions, he was and always would be a hopeless shut-in, a hikikomori." (p. 170).
The plot of the tale is that Rintaro's grandfather dies, and leaves him as the proprietor of a small and excellent bookstore full of literary classics that are out of style. Rintaro, the extreme introvert, doesn't quite know how to cope. He stops going to school, and just sits in the bookstore. Then a mysterious cat appears and takes him on quests where he meets individuals who are misusing books. In various ways, Rintaro makes the book-abusers stop. He's a hero to the cat. A few other complications arise, including some bullying from other high-scool kids, and some reaching-out from nicer kids. It's slightly formulaic.
Can you tell that even though I actually enjoy this type of fantasy, where portals open to new worlds (say, Alice in Wonderland or the first volume of His Dark Materials) I didn't really relate to this one? I didn't think it was a very vivid or successful fantasy, and it was depressingly didactic about what's wrong with the way the modern world treats books.
Like many reviewers, I appreciated the cover art, which is widely recognized for its quality.
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I didn't know the word hikikomori either -- thanks for the intro to it. And the cover art of this is excellent! Doesn't sound like my kind of book either. But no problem -- there's way too much to read as it is! :-) Thanks for the review. And Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHikikomori is new-to-me, too.
ReplyDeleteYou should link up at Elza Reads. She's trying to get a biweekly Wondrous Words linkup going. This week's post is here: https://elzareads.com/wondrous-words-wednesday-cromulent/
I like the cover art too. And the new word.
ReplyDeleteDid you finish the book? It's not my type of genre but I do like the new word. Many people have been forced into that and others probably embraced it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice word! Love the illustrations! Valerie
ReplyDeleteAs always your reviews are very good and honest. For me I appreciate that. I am turning into a hikikomori. More and more I like just being with myself. Have a very nice evening.
ReplyDeleteI love that book illustration! Are you joining the Japanese Reading Challenge 2022 by Dolce Bellezza?
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review! Hikikomori is a new word for me. The last two years dealing with COVID, I feel like social isolation can be an easy time. The illustrations look beautiful, love the kitty. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Thanks for the new word. The illustration is amazing!
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't like the book. At least you gave us an new word. I wonder what the cat would say when I create altered books. I find these old worthless books are given a new and better life, but some might disagree. Thanks for the review, which I can tell is definitely honest!
ReplyDeleteWell, the art work is VERY good....so there's that! Thanks for the review. I'll pass on reading it and enjoy your photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm turning into a hikikomori, the longer the pandemic drags on. That is a lovely cover.
ReplyDeleteHello, :=) You gave an excellent review of this book, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the colourful and skilful illustrations.
ReplyDeleteAll the best from Portugal.
i've never heard of that word but i like it. Must be like 'tsundoku'; another japanese word now used in english.
ReplyDelete