The Cat and The City by  Nick Bradley

The Cat and The City

Nick Bradley

Surprising stories about Tokyo and its interesting intertwining inhabitants, tied together with the reappearance of a calico cat. Those I found most moving were of Ohashi, a homeless man who once was a storyteller, Makoto, a game’s enthusiast with dry humour and Flo, an American translator interested in Japanese language. There is also a threatening undertone. I found the Japanese words no obstacle to understanding and savouring the text.

Extract

I lit a cigarette and looked the other way. These work nights out were such a drag. It would've been great if I could get out of them like Flo, that American translator girl. She just said she wasn't feeling well, and everyone let her off. Why couldn't I do that? Sad fact: because I'm Japanese. And the nail that sticks out will be hammered in.

Parallels
  • Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
  • I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki
  • Mystery Train - the film by Jim Jarmusch
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Explicit sexual content