If Cats Disappeared from the World

This novel about someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness gave this reader a lot to think about. However, what I thought had nothing in common with the thoughts of a 36-year-old, Japanese mailman, the main character. Oddly enough, he was never named, which I didn't notice while reading the book.

His deal with the devil allows him an extra day of life, providing the mailman agrees to eliminate from the world an item of the devil's choosing. The mailman seems to agree to eliminate items that will directly effect friends and family more than himself. He never mentions how they will impact the world adversely. He only seems to think of ways that it will make the world a better place. Maybe, in order to live another day, it helps the mailman to think this way. For example, the first item is a phone. We can all think of ways that eliminating phones might improve our lives. However, in an emergency, what would you do without a phone?

As the title suggests, cats are eventually selected as something to disappear from the world. Amazingly, this effects the mailman directly—not to mention his cat, Cabbage.

This thought-provoking little book is definitely worth the short time it takes to read it. Your mind will wander places it never has before and maybe places you don't want to go, but should.