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  • If Cats Disappeared from the World

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Genki Kawamura
  • Narrated by: Brian Nishii
  • Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (32 ratings)

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If Cats Disappeared from the World cover art

If Cats Disappeared from the World

Written by: Genki Kawamura
Narrated by: Brian Nishii
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Publisher's Summary

"Brian Nishii narrates this imaginative tale set in Japan about the complexities of death, life, and cats...A brief, charming parable." —AudioFile Magazine

The international phenomenon that has sold more than a million copies in Japan, If Cats Disappeared from the World is a funny, heartwarming, and profound meditation on the meaning of life.

The postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat, Cabbage, to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the Devil appears to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, our narrator will get one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week....

With each object that disappears, the postman reflects on the life he’s lived, his joys and regrets, and the people he’s loved and lost.

Genki Kawamura’s timeless tale is a moving story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters most in life.

©2012; 2019 Text copyright Genki Kawamura; Translation copyright Eric Selland (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

"At first, If Cats Disappeared from the World feels as light and puzzling as a fairy tale, but then, steadily, chapter by chapter - using nothing more than conversation, memory, and a winning narrator's searching, sensitive thought experiments - it raises its cosmic stakes higher than any thriller. Like a padding cat or the shadow of death, Genki Kawamura's book snuck up on me; the next thing I knew, I was crying." (Robin Sloan, New York Times best-selling author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough)

What listeners say about If Cats Disappeared from the World

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Relatable, nice story

I enjoyed this story. I wanted to keep listening to all the chapters in one go. I recommend this one, it makes you think about your own life and it questions the meaning of life when death is imminent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved! Such a great story!

I loved this story. Very sweet and relatable. I wish there was more. I may listen again at a later date.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Val
  • 2023-01-16

Remarkable

Thought-provoking story about meaning of life and human relationship with death. Profound and insightful story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining but tries too hard to be profound

The author's "insights" and social observations e.g. about cell phone addiction, lack originality and are grating. Narrator was good.

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