Where are all the animal/cat lovers out there? I have the perfect novel for you. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is a tale of friendship and loss, a tale about the importance of family and dealing with grief. And as the title suggests, Arikawa documents life’s journey through a different perspective--the perspective of a cat.
One memory I have of elementary school is reading the classic novel Charlotte’s Web in fifth grade, and being saddened by the ending. I was hesitant that The Travelling Cat Chronicles would also end on a melancholy note, but for some reason, I experienced joy while reading the entire novel. Despite the fact that loss is inevitable in the novel, Arikawa writes in a way that enables the reader to have an optimistic outlook on the events that occur. After all, that is what life is about: dealing with all of its twists and turns and enjoying every moment.
The novel is about a carefree cat named Nana and his owner Satoru. Satoru rescued Nana, a former stray cat, from a car accident and has happily been her owner for five years. However, under certain circumstances, Satoru has to give Nana up. And it is with this that Satoru and Nana’s journey through Japan begins, with the hopes of Satoru finding the perfect new owner for Nana. The first stop on the journey is a visit to Kosuke, Satoru’s childhood friend. The storytelling switches to a third person narration at this point, where readers learn about how Satoru and Kosuke bonded over a cat in elementary school and about a tragic event in Satoru’s past. The next visit is the farmer Yoshimine, who experienced similar difficulties as Satoru when they were both in middle school. Finally, Satoru and Nana visit Sugi and Chikako, a couple who Satoru has been friends with since high school (in fact, Chikako was Satoru’s first love, but he kept it a secret from Chikako because Sugi, who also loved her, begged him to). Unfortunately, none of the four are a good fit for the proud Nana. But behind all the reasons Satoru is reluctant to give up Nana is because he is lonely without her. Nana, being the loyal and loving cat that she is, understands this, and she makes it clear that she will be Satoru’s cat until the very end.
The Traveling Cat Chronicles is a book that had me at meow. It is an amusing, heartwarming tale about the final journey a man and his cat embark on together. As they travel through Japan, Satoru is reminded of all the people he has met throughout his life that are important to him: close friends, crushes, and others. With a heartbreaking yet beautiful ending, the novel is sure to bring tears to your eyes and allow you to have a greater appreciation for loved ones (including pets). I rate this novel an eight out of ten.