We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, Syou Ishida, Penguin Random House, ISBN: 9781529936711

IF ever a book felt like medicine for the soul, this collection of short stories about adorable cats performing miracles would be it.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida is a blend of heartwarming and tear-jerking tales that can be enjoyed in one sitting or in small, healing doses.

Each story is tied to a mysterious clinic hidden in Kyoto, Japan discovered only through vague, almost mythical directions. Visitors arrive burdened by life’s struggles, only to be met by an eccentric young doctor and his aloof receptionist who prescribe, not medicine, but a cat. What follows is often a swirl of feline-induced chaos that leads, in its own unexpected way, to profound lessons.

While some characters feel a touch two-dimensional and the structure becomes somewhat predictable (likely nuance lost in translation), the book still shines with its whimsical charm. Fans of Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking For Is in the Library will recognize the similarities between these enchanting reads.

I found myself sniggering one moment and teary-eyed the next, caught in the book’s magical realism. It’s so delightful I half-wish it carried a warning label – it might just tempt you into adopting a furry companion. Not ideal for cynophiles perhaps, but for cat lovers? An absolute must-read. Mariclair Smit 4/5 stars