Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

The Goodbye Cat follows seven cats and their connection to their humans. Each story is beautifully told and full of emotion. I was really excited to read this given how much I loved The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

While I WEPT over TTCC, I didn’t get as emotionally involved with the stories in The Goodbye Cat. The last two stories connected to TTCC but having already read that novel, those two stories didn’t leave as much of an impact with me as I’ve already heard the story.

Also important to note that there were several cultural differences throughout the novel, mainly to do with gender roles within the house/family.

Overall, a nice read. Beautifully told stories about our beloved feline friends. Just fell a little short of my expectations after loving TTCC so much.

The is the second book by Hiro Arikawa that is based around cats and he has once again created a beautiful, cosy and warm collection of short stories. I love Arikawa's style of writing that creates this strong and almost nostalgic connection to these cats and their families and every single story feels like a warm hug (although it may take you on an emotional journey). I think this will be another big hit and a must read for any cat lovers.

This is the second book by Arikawa based on cats and the final two stories in this collection of seven focus on the cats we met in the first novel, The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Fans of this first book will love this collection, which has similar themes and style to the Chronicles. Some stories are told from a cat's point of view and in various parts of Japan. Novels about cats appear to have been extremely popular in Japan for some time - Haruki Murakami (a much better writer) often has cats in his novels and a cat plays a central role in his Wind up Bird Chronicles. So I can see why this was such a best seller in Japan.

I have the same issue with this book that I did with Arikawa's first, I find it very sentimental. I do know that this is not everyone's experience - some readers will find it extremely moving, but the sentiment combined with the sometimes simple writing style don't work for me.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

The Cat That Stayed is a collection of seven short stories that focus on the beauty, strength and love of a cat.

Hiro Arikawa takes you on a journey through Japan and tells you the story of Hachi, the kitten who was dumped with his brother in a cardboard box in the trash, about Nana, the adult male who resists moving to another family. The story of Ryō, who goes on holiday with his parents to cat island and experiences the power of a cat's mind. But also the hangover Tom, who keeps his owner awake every night and is occasionally a real bastard. Keisuke, who learns through a kitten how to be a good father to his newborn child. Tiger, a cat that nobody wanted, but finds a home with Ten and finally the story of Kōta, a cat that does not want to die...

Hiro Arikawa knows how to capture the power and love of cats. Some stories are told from the perspective of the cat itself, giving you a completely different picture of these mysterious animals and also allowing you to look inside their heads. The cats often make the comparison between themselves and the people, which we humans still make problems about, which a cat does not care about. Hiro Arikawa provides a smooth-to-read collection, in which you will find comfort and support and which will only help you develop more love and friendship for your cat.

Definitely one for cat lovers (I should probably admit right now that I prefer dogs...) but still enjoyable even if cats aren't your favourite! I struggled initially with the writing style - the translation feels a little jerky to me, quite basic in places, but perhaps this reflects the author's original writing style? I had got used to it by the end, but it did take me a little while to feel comfortable reading.
All of the stories are quite emotional - you can feel that you're being prompted to shed a little tear. I didn't cry, but I did feel like they got better as they went along, and the final 2 stories were my favourites, and I felt quite warmly towards cats by the end of the book!

When I read The Travelling Cat Chronicles last year, it absolutely ruined me. Like full on tears and everything. So, when I saw that there was another cat anthology from the same author being released in translation this year… well, I had to read it.

The Goodbye Cat is a series of seven stories centring, well, cats. And the humans looking after them, I suppose. What’s more, you don’t just get to see new faces, but some old friends as well, which was a nice surprise (and made me want to reread The Travelling Cat Chronicles, I’ll admit).

This will probably be a pretty short review, since it’s a reasonably short anthology. There’s only seven stories here, but each is so distinct, each cat is so memorable. You’ll actually want the anthology to last for a whole lot longer because of how good it is. The first story alone made me tear up, which frankly I should have expected, and it was a sign of things to come.

Actually, this will definitely be a short review, because all I really have to say about this book is how much I loved it. I especially loved the final two stories, which tie into The Travelling Cat Chronicles in a way that makes you just a bit nostalgic (not saying how they tie in, but it might well be guessable). Any which way, it’ll leave you wanting more, and that’s always a good sign when it comes to a short story collection.

All that remains, then, is for me to ask — nay, beg — that you read The Travelling Cat Chronicles now, and this book when it comes out later this year. If you don’t, you will be sorely missing out!