The Cat Who Saved Books

The Cat Who Saved Books (本を守ろうとする猫の話) is a 2017 novel by Sosuke Natsukawa, published by Shogakukan. Its English translation, done by Louise Heal Kawai, was published in 2021 by HarperVia.

It was the first novel by Natsukawa that was translated into English.

Background
In addition to being an author, Natsukawa is also a doctor.

Plot
The book is about a teenage boy, Rintaro Natsuki (夏木 林太郎), who stops attending high school classes after he obtains a bookshop held by his deceased grandfather. A talking cat character, named Tiger, appears and helps Rintaro deal with his trauma.

Louise George Kittaka of The Japan Times wrote that Rintaro has "hikikomori (reclusive) tendencies".

Reception
Lanie Tankard, who reviewed the book for World Literature Today, compared the book with The Jungle by Upton Sinclair because the book has commentary on the publishing industry.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a positive review, comparing it to catnip.

Publishers Weekly argued that the work was too "simplistic" to be substantial; the reviewer argued the book was "hopeful and breezy".

Hephzibah Anderson of The Observer wrote that the work is "whimsical".