Surprise Best Seller: THE GUEST CAT
A book translated from the original Japanese, published here in trade paperback, arrived at #16 on Sunday’s NYT Pbk Trade Fiction best seller list.
The Guest Cat, Takashi Hiraide, trans. by Eric Selland, (New Directions)
A best seller in both Japan and France, on the NPR web site, reviewer Juan Vidal calls it “… a rare treasure. In just under 140 pages, it spans a wide spectrum of emotion and detail. Takashi Hiraide, the Japanese poet and novelist, blindsided me. His prose — so illuminating and achingly poetic — made me care.”
The Publishers Weekly review is equally strong and allays any concerns about the translation, noting the “the gorgeous and textured, lolling rhythm of its prose.”