We'll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida

 

Five different people, all seeking help for various mental health issues, find themselves at the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic For The Soul. Their expectations are very low considering the location of the clinic and the attitude of the staff. They are surprised when the psychiatrist listens to their stories and prescribes them a cat to look after.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida is my first foray into Japanese literature. I was a little hesitant that I might struggle with the style of writing but found the book a very easy read, particularly as I'm a cat lover. The novel is more akin to five short stories connected by the same location and this added to the ease of reading. The only difficulty I really had was the unfamiliar names.

I don't want to give anything away, you really do need to read the book for yourself to meet the different characters (both human and feline) and learn about their problems and how they are resolved. The story has a slightly mystical quality and gives the reader a glimpse into Japanese culture.

At its essence, the story tells us that cats, and I would definitely extend this to dogs too, are the best medicine. The healing power comes from the fact that pets allow us to make connections, revisit memories, reunite families and rebalance life. We're also reminded that the loss of a beloved pet can leave a cat-shaped hole in your heart, one that feels impossible to fill. However, cats are magical creatures, almost fluid, and have the ability to fill the gaps left by previous pets.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat certainly won't be the last Japanese translation I read and I'm already looking forward to the promised sequel, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat.

Author Details

Born in 1975 in Kyoto, award-winning author Syou Ishida has always adored her cats. She began writing fiction while working at a telecommunications company. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat has been a runaway bestseller in Japan, and is due to be translated into over thirty languages. Its sequel, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat will be published worldwide next year.