REVIEW: We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

On the top floor of an old building at the end of a cobbled alley in Kyoto lies the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. Only a select few - those who feel genuine emotional pain - can find it.

The mysterious centre offers a unique treatment for its troubled patients: it prescribes cats as medication.

Get ready to fall in love:
- Bee, an eight-year-old female, mixed breed helps a disheartened businessman as he finds unexpected joy in physical labour;
- Margot, muscly like a lightweight boxer, helps a middle-aged callcentre worker stay relevant;
- Koyuki, an exquisite white cat brings closure to a mother troubled by the memory of the rescue kitten she was forced to abandon;
- Tank and Tangerine bring peace to a hardened fashion designer, as she learns to be kinder to herself;
- Mimita, the Scottish Fold kitten helps a broken-hearted Geisha to stop blaming herself for the cat she once lost.

If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be healing.

It felt like comfort, warmth. It captured the truly beautiful essence of the love and joy we can have from relationships with cats, that selfless kind of love that brings a new kind of happiness.

Even if I wasn’t already a huge fan of Japanese cat-based literature, Bee & Margot, two of the cats in the book - are mine and my own cats name so that just made me giggle in excitement.

We meet each cat the strange little clinic in downtown Kyoto one by one, each story playing out before it’s the next cats turn to take the stage. It’s more of a collection of moments than a narrative story, but I was enthralled. Its storytelling was simple, beautiful, poetic - and I ate up every single word.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return a review.
We'll prescribe you a cat will be available from September 5th with Random House
This title contains subjects that may be upsetting to readers including discussions about euthanasia and sexist characters.

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