Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve
In today’s world, the sight of a child, who is an independent reader, immersed in a book and forsaking other activities, is unusual. Devices have usurped this position and it is no exaggeration to state that most prefer them to the ‘much too slow’ books!
Sosuke Natsukawa has written a sequel to her successful The Cat Who Saved Books and has produced a charming adventure fantasy that is a gentle argument for the value and importance of books.
Nanami, which is Japanese for Seven Seas, was wished a lifetime of travel as a little baby. As a young girl of 13, her exploration of the world is through her reading. Being a severe asthmatic, her activity is limited but she is comforted by delving into the world of time-honoured classics. Her favourite is the exploits of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar, followed by the dashing Three Musketeers.
Some of her much loved favourite books begin to vanish from her frequently visited local library. Nanami starts to investigate and strange blue lights appear and a mysterious tabby cat called Tiger. Tiger, self-assured and wanting to discover the reason for these disappearances, joins her in a quest to trace the missing books.
Tall, thin grey men appear. There are grey soldiers, a grey castle and a King. There, a bonfire consumes piles of the stolen books which will be eventually replaced by blank volumes. It is a blow to literature on an alarming scale, which could mean the end of ideas and thought that have shaped the world.
Drama and excitement follow with the brave pair outnumbered but valiantly fighting. Nanami keeps running, never giving up hope. She and Tiger are victorious.
The book touches on her hardworking but devoted, father who learns to respect her love of reading and visiting the library. He recognises that books are valued friends and an essential part of her life. In addition, his daughter has acquired important life lessons through her awareness of some of the characters in the classic novels she loves.
It is to be hoped that this delightful book is not just a diversion for a few but its message deservedly reaches a wider public.
The Cat Who Saved the Library
[2025]
by Sosuke Natsukawa
Picador
ISBN: 978 103505 064 2
$18.99; 230pp