Member Review

A charming allegory for book lovers everywhere, this tells the story of Japanese orphan teenager Rintaro whose grandfather has died, leaving behind the legacy of his beloved second-hand bookshop. As Rintaro prepares to sell up and go to live with his aunt, a talking cat appears and demands Rintaro follow it to help save the world's books.
In a series of adventures in a magical world, Rintaro meets powerful people who profess to love books but are destroying the pleasure of reading. As he argues against their actions, he learns more about himself, and discovers a new passion for his former aimless and somewhat friendless life.
This was beautifully written and very intriguing, with few characters other than Rintaro to invest in, but plenty to make you think about the power books can wield for good or evil. While the story takes a clever pop at the capitalist giants of the book retailing world, it's not afraid to mock the pretentiousness of the literati, too, nor to point out that there is more to life than books. A quirky, enjoyable read.