his short little Japanese novel starts with a down-on-his-luck postman shuffling through a useless life, that is, until his doctor tells him he’s got a tumor and only weeks, maybe, to live. That would be a lot to take in.

Whats more to take is the next day, when the devil appears and makes an offer  – if this doomed man agrees to it, the devil will remove one thing from our world. For each removed thing, the man gains a day.

Okay, so the first thing is cell phones to which the man agrees. The next day on the train, he realizes how quiet it is. Everyone is talking low to each other, reading books or the newspaper, living simply without the pressing need to check, check, check their phones. Later, though, this turns out to bite the fellow, showing there are two sides to every coin, in this case annoyance vs convenience.

A day or so later (along with a sacrifice or two), the devil looks at the character’s companion, a dear little cat named Cabbage (long story). Another day? For no cats?

I know there are those readers among you, dog owners, who would agree as I would over the phones (and that’s fine – everyone has their own flea-bitten, dog-turd-on-the-lawn opinions). But this whole thing, sacrificing a creature he loves for his continued existence, really opens up some interesting reflection. The main character is forced to examine his squandered existence, from his dead mother to distant father to the girl he let drift away. Nothing like death and a monumentally tough choice to force the inflection.

So yes, a good quick little book, an enjoyable read. Possibly not quite as good as The Traveling Cat Chronicles in terms of tears but still a nice little read that will push out a sniff or two. Picked this one up in Amsterdam’s Central Station, but I’m sure your local bookseller can get a copy for you. And support the locals before Amazon, please.

>>>UNLESS YOU ARE BUYING MY BOOK, WHICH IS AN AMAZON DEAL ONLY<<<