If Cats Disappeared from the World

A short, odd little fable about a man who is told he's about to die, but is then provided an opportunity to make a deal with the devil: he can buy himself another day of life, but for each day he buys, something else will be removed from the world. What might it mean, though, to live in a world without phones, or movies, or clocks, or cats? What do those things mean, specifically, to him? And is it worth the price?

These are entertaining and interesting questions. The ultimate answer we get to them, I think, risks verging onto the corny, but there's enough weird, low-key, thought-provoking charm here to make it work.

A young man finds out he has an incurable condition and will soon die. The devil shows up and makes him an offer: for each day that he chooses one thing to disappear from the world, he gets another day of life. But he can’t choose easy things like getting rid of the dust balls under the bed. It has to be hard things- like cell phones, movies, or clocks. Each additional day that he lives, he notices what difference those items do or don’t make in our lives, how people around him behave differently. Most of all it makes him reflect on his own life- sharing memories about his ex-girlfriend, his parents, his mother’s long illness, their adoption of one cat and then another, and the current estrangement from his father, which he show more isn’t sure if he can mend now. He muses on what’s really important in life, and how things like cell phones and clocks have in many ways come to control our lives. (I admit I really didn’t get the chapter on movies, though. I’m not into film nearly as much as this character was). By the end he is starting to come to terms with some things, but when the devil suggests he must make cats disappear, that’s just too much. So he faces the reality of a final end, and what that means.

This story felt more of a thought experiment (if that’s the right phrase) than anything else. It was introspective and a bit philosophical without getting too heavy- much of the conversation is light-hearted, and the devil character himself cracks jokes and indulges in things like playing with the cat. Oh, and at one point he makes the cat talk, which was great. I really enjoyed the chapter or two where the cat was talking. I do think the author missed out on delving into more about what impact suddenly being devoid of cell phones and clocks would have on everyone- in the story, the main character himself knew what had disappeared and why, and missed it (or not) but nobody else around him seemed to notice anything was different. Surely without mechanisms to keep time- and it happening so suddenly- a lot of how the world runs would fall into chaos? I thought there must be more to it than that. However this was all about the one character’s life and what he valued, and how those objects affected him, so it didn’t delve too deeply into universal consequences. show less

This poignant tale is bound to make you sad, yet that is not main message this novel wishes to impart. The postman is dying, and he has only his cat Cabbage for company. Yes, he has family, but he is estranged from them. He is contacted by the devil, who makes him a strange offer. He can have one additional day of life in exchange for making something disappear from the world. He wonders what the world can do without. The devil decides what will go next if the postman agrees. Does the world need cell phones? Probably not. And so the postman ponders what - and who - is really important in his soon-to-be-ending life. The climax comes when the devil offers up cats. This wonderfully thought-provoking tale is one that will have thinking show more about what is important in your life, people and cats included. show less

I'm rather a sucker for Japanese cat books, and I snapped this one up the moment I saw that Eric Selland did the translation. Selland translated one of my favourites, Takashi Hiraide's The Guest Cat, and his poetic sensibility as a translator matched with the philosophical and whimsical premise of this book pushed me into trying it.

So this is the story of a postman who is told that he has a very small amount of time left to live, and tries to work out what to do with his remaining moments... and then is visited by the Devil, who looks just like him but with loud Hawaiian shirts, and is offered a deal: get rid of something from the world, and have your life extended by a day. Our narrator, figuring that there's lots of things you could show more eliminate and still be okay, goes for it, but then as things go away, he starts to have second thoughts.

The book deals both with larger ruminations on life and what it would be like without clocks, or movies, or phones, as well as more human scale relationships between our narrator and the people in his life who have already passed away, or who he'll be leaving behind. As you might guess from the cover, there's also a lot about relationships with cats, as well. These are generally pretty thoughtful, and the book strikes a good tone between hope and melancholy.

All in all, I appreciated this story, and while I don't think I'd give it as high marks as the Guest Cat, I liked the translation's quality, and its mood and insight were worth the time invested. Just don't let those cats disappear. show less

Our main character is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and before he can tackle his bucket list the Devil approaches with an offer: He can live one day longer in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear. So begins our story which examines the meaning of life and what actually gives it meaning.

The writing is heartfelt, moving and even funny while dealing with complex questions. Long after you finish this one, you will ponder the questions it raises. I could not put it down, and I am still thinking about it days later. This one will go on my re-read shelf, because I think that depending on where you are on life’s journey….the book will hit differently.

I would recommend this one to anyone, regardless of age there is show more something in it for everyone.

Some of my favorite quotes from this one:

“Thinking about all this, I began to wonder. What have I given to the people around me while I have been alive? What would I leave behind in their memory? My whole life will be summed up in those moments that I won’t be around to see….”

“Even in death humans have found a way to reproduce the same inequalities that we have to deal with while we’re alive.”

“Everyone dies eventually. The fatality rate is 100%. When you think about it in those terms, whether your death is happy or unhappy depends on how you’ve lived your life.”

“You can persuade yourself to be either happy or sad. It just depends on how you choose to see things.” show less

This was such a bittersweet existential study of one's human condition. The narrator is a 30-something Japanese man, striving to get on in the world. He's had a few troubling health issues so off to the doctor he goes. While there, he's informed that he has only a few months to live, at most. He is stunned by the news and begins to examine his life - determining what is important; what was squandered and whether he's made an impact during his short time in this world. He finds comfort in the company of his sweet cat, Cabbage. Then the devil appears offering the young man the opportunity to extend his life, one day at a time, obliterating the existence of some object in the world which will take the item out of everyone's world. (It's show more somewhat the Faust theme renewed.)

Initially, the young man goes along with this concept which buys him a couple extra days but then he is affronted by a particularly challenging choice. In this short period of a man's final days in life, we see him struggle, philosophize, and deeply examine his contribution to the world and find out for himself what truly is important in life. This is a gently sweet yet rather sad tale of discovery, joy, sorrow, reconciliation, regret and love..

I am grateful to publisher Flat Iron Books and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free advance reading copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. show less

2025 Advent, Day 15: I sent the title of this book to a friend and he (very rightfully) said "so it's it just a mostly empty book with the phrase "it would be awful." Written inside?" Which-- fair.
As I know I've stated in previous reviews- I do love translated Japanese literature about a contemporary song involving magical realism and centered around cats and mental health. It comes up with astonishing frequency. This story in particular involves a dieing person's desk with the the devil to give up one thing per day in exchange for a day of life, but as the devil is the one picking the items to exchange, the reader is challenged to consider just what would be worth it? What is a singular day of life worth. What would you be OK with show more having disappear from this world? As you may guess from the title- after many days and exchanges, we finally reach the devils bargain to have cats disappear. And just... no. Absolutely not. My friend was correct to say we could just sum that up with "it would be awful".
This book was not my favourite of the Japanese magical realism cat books, but i still loved it. Maybe I'm just feeling rather sentimental today (a book about death on the day i went to a funeral was absolutely not intentional as I picked the bins for this calendar months ago), but this was lovely. I read it with a cat purring on my chest, and I absolutely would not be able to see them disappear. show less