We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou IshidaSetting: Japan
Genres: Fiction / Literary, translation
Published on September 3, 2024
Pages: 304
Format: eARC Source: Netgalley
A cat a day keeps the doctor away…
Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.
Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.
Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.
How can cats be the answer to anything and everything that might be wrong with a person? You’ll find out how in this series of interconnected short stories that feature magical realism.
Most reviews of this book that I’ve seen describe it “feel good” and “cozy”. I didn’t that at all from this book. I actually thought it was pretty dark. That doesn’t mean that it was necessarily bad but it was in no way happy or joyful. I think that the difference in my opinion of the book from other reviewers is that I tend to have a whole lot more empathy towards cats than people. When you look at these stories from the point of view of the cats, it can be pretty bleak.
The cats are generally unwanted. They are given to people who are unprepared to have them. The people generally complain a lot about having them. In a few stories, there is outright neglect bordering on animal abuse. They tend to end well but the cats definitely have a rough time. If you look at the cats as a tool to make the people feel better then maybe this is a happy book. If you look at the life of the cats, it is bittersweet at best.
