A postman who is told he has only a short time to live is visited by a devil who looks exactly like him. The devil offers to extend his life by one day for every thing he agrees to make disappear from the world. Phones, movies, and clocks vanish one by one, until finally, cats are named as the next candidate for disappearance.
Following the seven chapters from Monday to Sunday, this guide organizes the devil's bargain, memories of an ex-girlfriend, movies with a best friend, a mother's death, and the relationship with an estranged father. This is a chapter-by-chapter guide to finding which person's time was preserved within each object, rather than treating the disappearance mechanism as a mere life lesson. This book is an independent chapter-by-chapter summary guide for organizing and reviewing your reading, not the original text.
Nominated for the 2013 Japan Booksellers' Award.
The deal to erase one thing from the world in exchange for living one day longer is not a simple ranking of convenient items. Erasing phones destabilizes the meeting with an ex-girlfriend; erasing movies shakes the words shared with a best friend. When it is the cat's turn, the protagonist must weigh his survival time against the relationships that gave him a reason to live.
Reconnect each daily bargain to memories of the ex-girlfriend, the movie-loving best friend, the deceased mother, and the clockmaker father. Distinguish between the devil's proposals and the protagonist's own desire to escape, tracing how the disappearing objects change not just the world, but his own self-understanding.
Phones, movies, and clocks support memories of meeting, waiting for, and parting with someone, beyond mere convenience. By comparing the before and after of each disappearance, follow the outlines of the relationships the protagonist is losing.
The devil's lighthearted proposals are an externalization of the protagonist's own desire to continue the deal out of a fear of death. Consider the difference between living long and taking responsibility for one's own life.
Cabbage the cat not only preserves days spent with the mother but also creates a path back to the father with whom communication had ceased. Confirm what is irreplaceable leading up to the final choice.
This guide is suitable for readers drawn to stories about cats, short fables, family reconciliation, and the philosophy of death. It is useful for those who want to read about the specific connections between objects and relationships, rather than just moving words.
About the edition: This is an independent chapter-by-chapter guide and summary, not the original text. It is intended for review and reading support and is recommended to be read alongside the original work.
Miva: the next reading experience beyond audiobooks
Listen like an audiobook, then ask anything, anytime.
Start Miva's narrationMiva does not just narrate. It keeps explaining based on what you ask.