It's a novel, not anything... with a goal, with fun, or humor. Too literati. ( )

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, which offers so many different ways things could play out. I was a little disappointed that the narrator wasn't able to choose what would disappear, since I found myself wondering what I would choose (mosquitoes? lead-based paint? nuclear weapons?), and I thought it would be fascinating to see if the narrator ended up regretting what he'd assumed would be a good choice. I was hoping to see some big, unexpected, butterfly-effect-like consequences for each thing removed, but the book was short on that as well. Not to mention the lack of deep exploration of moral philosophy that easily could have come into play here.

Overall, it seems like the author didn't do a lot of research or employ a rigorous thought process, and the reader doesn't seem to be encouraged to think about these things very much either. This was something I personally struggled with, as the concept of "think about it a little, but don't overthink" doesn't really work for me. But it did make the book a far lighter read than I'd expected.

Speaking of light, the tone also manages to stay light-hearted much of the time, even including a few jokes. The main character is usually in a magical state of not suffering at all, and, while there are people who will miss him, he's relatively unattached and doesn't have anyone depending on him except for a cat. It gets a little sad at the end, but how much you feel it will depend on how well you personally handle the knowledge that every living thing eventually dies.

I think this book will appeal to those who enjoy books like The Midnight Library that use a bit of magic to allow the main character to delay death while reflecting back on their life. It's a quick and easy read (I finished it in a day) and might be a good choice for reading on a plane or train or as an audiobook during a long commute. It probably won't require your intensive focus, but it'll keep you entertained for a while with some things to lightly ponder.

This is an interesting surmise, I'm just not sure it worked as the central character didn't seem to have enough depth.
One day the young man who tells this story finds out that he has an incurable brain tumour and has only a limited time to live. At which point he starts writing a bucket list and wishes he has longer. At which point the devil appears. Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, like you do. And he is offered a bargin, remove one thing from the world and gain an extra day of life.
And so he vanishes phones, movies and clocks. He gets the chance to have one more experience with each item before it vanishes, so one last phone call, one last movie etc. The surmise is interesting, what would you get rid off for one more day on the earth. But the execution seems rather poor. The central character meets up with an ex girlfriend who adores movies, and when he vanishes then, he barely gives a moments thought to what it would mean to her life. Maybe that's why they are ex... The 4th offering is cats and at this point he declines the offer. Along the way he revisits parts of his life, reviews his relationship with his mother and the broken one with his father. He is somewhere in his 30s, we find, but at times he is very childish and selfish, not considering anyone else apart from his mother and the cat.
Good idea, but the central character and the execution let it down. ( )

There are moments in this book that have made me think much about those elements of my life that I easily take for granted---there are some good lines in here (disclaimer: I read the original Japanese), and the premise is fantastic. But other moments feel rather dramatic and cliche. The commentary following the end of the story proper doesn't help---its extravagant praise reads more like an advertisement than much else. ( )

I liked the concept of what you would be prepared to give up if you could live one more day. Like the narrator, I couldn't give up something so close to me, like a beloved animal. ( )

This was really a sweet story. A reminder of all that’s important in life - and I loved the idea of making a deal with the devil to extend your days. ( )

3.5 stars. ( )

i cried so much

Honestly this book made me feel so much. It made me laugh, it made me cry. Overall 11/10 could not recommend it enough. ( )

Loaned to me by my girlfriend and absolutely loved it ( )

Halfway through, and still no cats disappeared or any mention of it. This allegorical cheese fest is full of repetitive platitudes, repetitive cliches, repetitive quotes and characters I do not care about. The guy is overly self-conscious and not endearing. I wanted to blame it on the translation but I can't imagine what kind of huge miss the translation would have to be for me to dislike it this much. If you don't get to the title premise by the midway point and then have characters start quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger and Star Wars, I'm out. ( )

What a delightful little book!
The premise is a man (and his cat Cabbage) is diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and is going to die in a day. The Devil, who names himself Aloha, shows up with a choice- every day, the man can have one more day, but something has to disappear from the world forever. The man agrees, but learns The Devil gets to pick the item each day. The man can use the item one last time, but then it is gone. Each day a new thing is picked.

The book, in its humorous little way, tackles the meaning of life, relationships, missed opportunities, and what it means to live. There is a funny thing that happens on day 3 which adds humor to a heavy book, but digs even deeper too. I kinda loved this book. It will definitely be a re-read.

It will take about an hour or so to get through. Apparently there is a movie too. ( )

A beautiful and touching novel about loss and grief. ( )

This book tells the story of the narrator during a week after he finds out he is close to death. The devil shows up and proposes a deal: for each thing that the protagonist makes disappear from the world, he gains one more day to live. The problem is that the devil has to agree with what is picked to disappear.

This is a reflection about life and what is most important and meaningful. I liked the second half of the book more because there was more cat in it and the main character wasn’t as self centered. At first he is of course very worried about going to die and only thinks about saving himself.

I found the mentions of “Doraemon” funny and so was the cat talking like a character in a historical drama. The main character, the writing and plot were alright.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I’ve read similar ones before, but this is still a nice and short book to add to the list if you love cats, characters reflecting about life and family drama. ( )

What would you sacrifice for an extra day of life?

That is the sentence on the back cover of this book which drew me in. I saw it and immediately knew that it was a book that I needed to read.

This book is written from the first person perspective of a Japanese postman who has recently been diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. He is told that if he's lucky he has 6 months left to live. He returns home, completely in shock, and collapses in his apartment. He awakes to a confrontation from the Devil, who offers him a deal - he can extend his life for one day of he agrees to get rid of something from the world, however the Devil gets to choose the item. The first item he agrees to eliminate is mobile phones, the next day he agrees to make all of the clocks in the world disappear, and so on.

This isn't a very serious book as it manages to lighten the mood by providing some mild comic relief in the form of the Devil, or Aloha as the protagonist nicknames him due to his love of Hawaiian shirts and Ray Ban sunglasses. Surprisingly it is also not depressing, considering it's a book about a dying man and what he does with his final days.

This is the first book I have ever read that I would describe as beautiful. It is very well written and translated, as it is originally a Japanese novel, and it makes you think about life. I don't mean that in a philosophical way, but I just found that it really made me think about topics such as how communicate with others, how much do we really pay attention to the needs and wants of others, do we ever put others before ourselves, etc.

I would highly recommend this book, it's very easy to read and it is quite short too. It is one of the very few books which I would rate as 5/5 stars. I will definitely seek out other books by this author in the future. ( )

It was fine... ( )

This book is a though experiment about what it would mean if certain things we take for granted disappeared and what we would give up to live another day. Its quite simply written and matter of fact, as many Japanese books in translation seem to feel, but wrestles with some interesting questions. Overall a charming book rather than a profound one. ( )

I mostly skimmed this slight Faustian novella. A young man learns he has only a short time to live. Still in shock, he is approached by the devil and offered one additional day of life in return for choosing one thing to "disappear" from the world. As he makes his choices, we are treated to vignettes of what life would be like if there were no phones, or no movies, for example. And then he must decide whether to live one additional day he is willing to disappear cats from the world.
There were brief spurts of interesting and slightly inspired thoughts and insights, but for the most part I think this is a skippable book, although perhaps I'm not the target audience. I found it had a very YA feel to it, and it was rather simplistic and shallow.

2 stars ( )

A short, odd little fable about a man who is told he's about to die, but is then provided an opportunity to make a deal with the devil: he can buy himself another day of life, but for each day he buys, something else will be removed from the world. What might it mean, though, to live in a world without phones, or movies, or clocks, or cats? What do those things mean, specifically, to him? And is it worth the price?

These are entertaining and interesting questions. The ultimate answer we get to them, I think, risks verging onto the corny, but there's enough weird, low-key, thought-provoking charm here to make it work. ( )

Novel about having the presence of mind to live our priorities. Don't take time for granted; do important work now. Show love,kindness, gratitude and honor each day. This way you avoid having regrets later when its too late.

Quick, okay read.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

This had some really beautiful moments. There was a discovery of how different people show love that I appreciated, especially for the size of the book. And as we began to discuss our own theories on what the author meant and how the book ended, I did appreciate it a little more. (Or did I appreciate our theories, which is not necessarily what the author may have even intended?)

That being said, I think this is the sort of book where the character growth is the most important part. And I didn't care for the character. I thought he was selfish, and dull, and he was willing to make sacrifices and take things away from people just to get a few more days of his dull and monotonous life. And I know that he needed those days to gain an appreciation for himself and his life and his friends and all that It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol wholesome goodness, but I was just not here for any of it.

Also Ezio would never forget me if I died before him, and Cabbage would never forget his mother either. ( )

This started out very promising - the narrator has just learned he has a terminal illness and not having any family (his mother is dead, his father is estranged) to process the news with, he goes home to his apartment and his cat Cabbage and in his self-mourning, he gets a visit from the devil, who looks just like him, but is a flashier dresser. The narrator is a postal worker and favors black and white, but the devil, who he comes to call Aloha, is always dressed in some variation of Hawaiian shirt, as if ready for a party. He offers the narrator a deal: he can extend his life by one day if he allows something to cease to exist. The first thing to go is phones - which might be wish-fulfillment in our dependent device days. But it pertains to all phones - how this impacts the world is not really addressed, but it does impact the narrator and causes him to reach out to others (an ex girlfriend, a friend, his father) in unique ways. Movies and clocks also disappear - again sweeping categories that surely cause havoc and have major impact, but the book is more interior and looks at the impact on the narrator - his regrets in life, his happy memories, and what he can do in the remaining time to come to an acceptance of his life choices. Not sure if it is a factor of translation or the need for a good editor, but the book lags in some places and belabors the point of what life really boils down to is choices. We just have to be sure we can live with the ones we make. ( )

Charming, delightful, whimsical. Loved it. How much is your life worth to you? What would you give up to save it? What would you regret the most -- what you did or what you didn't do? ( )

3,5 estrellas.
Recomendado para fans de los gatos, la literatura japonesa contemporánea y las historias cortas con mensaje. ( )

A delightful novel about a young man who is dying and has a visit from the devil. He can make something disappear from the world in exchange for one more day of life but he gets to choose what it will be. A moving and funny novel about family relationships and memory with plenty of love and death. A short read that is occasionally twee but worth curling up with. ( )

An interesting and mildly uplifting take on life and death. ( )