Here, Kitty, Kitty: Even Dog Lovers Should Read 'The Guest Cat'
Although neither of them is particularly fond of cats, they soon make the acquaintance of Chibi, the neighbors' small white "jewel of a cat." Full of energy and athletic skill (the things she can do with a Ping-Pong ball!), it's not long before Chibi makes an impression on the two. And after a time, they become attached; eager and willing to break from their work whenever Chibi shows up to play. She naturally becomes a necessary part of their lives, adding joy and expectation to their days. At one point the wife asks, "Don't you think she really belongs to us?" The question speaks to her innate desire to "mother" something — a desire that, unknowingly, had gone suppressed.
Eventually the couple sees it fit to abandon routine in favor of exploring the grounds with Chibi. They marvel as Chibi swats flies and climbs trees at lightning speed. They become enraptured by all sorts of little things that, at this stage in their lives, amount to much more than just minutiae. Essentially, they fall in love. Wild and carefree, Chibi comes and goes as she pleases — creeping in through their window, eating and sleeping to her heart's content. Then something happens, something that changes things and takes the couple, and the reader, on an unexpected emotional trajectory.
As the story unfolds and shifts to the metafictional, we learn that what we are reading is, in fact, the novel the man is writing, and it's a work of subtlety and beaming intelligence. Whether waxing philosophical on Machiavelli or on the complexities of fate — Fortuna — Hiraide shows himself to be a poet of the highest grade. In his hand, the common is made beautiful and profound. I submit this: Whether you're a cat lover or not, don't pass this one up based on any preconceived anything. The deceptively simple plot plunges you — what seems like effortlessly — into a world of art, philosophy, and the mysterious nature of our ties to other living things. Ultimately, it's about what it means to love and to lose. Even dog lovers will relate.
Read an excerpt of The Guest Cat