This charming, humorous and touching novel about the power of self-transformation and healing through cats manages to pull at your heartstrings without becoming overly sentimental. Translated from the Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda, Ishida’s poetic and original style loosely intertwines the short stories effectively, highlighting the close bond between humans and cats.
I loved the quirky characters of the humans, who are finding their lives difficult for a myriad of reasons and genuinely need help, as well as the varying dynamic and empathetic personalities of the felines in each of the stories.
The mysterious clinic in the novel is quite tricky for the patients to find and offers an incredible treatment to those who arrive there: it prescribes cats as medication! Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the patients are very surprised by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they experience intense transformations in their lives, guided by the playful and oftenchallenging, yet endearing cats.
As the clinic’s patients struggle with their inner turmoil and pursue resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery and newfound hope. Overall, an inspirational and satisfying read, highly recommended.
We’ll Prescribe you a Cat by Syou Ishida
Published by Doubleday
Review by Jasmin Rothfield
