The Cat who Saved Books

THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS by best-selling Japanese author Sosuke Natsukawa has a very clever cover which instantly conveys both the Asian influence and the fantasy element of this story.  The main character (aside from the talking cat) is a young, immature high school aged boy, Rintaro Natsuki, who lives in Japan and inherits his grandfather’s bookshop. He struggles to adjust to life without much adult support and follows the magical cat to multiple labyrinths where books are imprisoned, severely edited, or discarded if they are unlikely to be profitable.  An introvert who is wise beyond his years, Natsuki encourages those involved to see books from a different perspective and to appreciate them for the power they have.  That part of the book is lovely, thought-provoking, and even somewhat humorous.  However, a neighborhood girl begins to share the adventures and that blossoming attraction adds little to the story of Rintaro’s coming of age and willingness to take risks.  The premise is intriguing, especially for book lovers, but the pace is a bit slow and the ending less dramatic than it could be. Overall, THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS is a fun, undemanding read – it was an Indie Next pick and a December 2021 LibraryReads selection.