The Traveling Cat Chronicles

This book by Hiro Arikawa has been translated from Japanese by Philip Gabriel and is a best seller in Japan. Our primary narrator is Nana, the Japanese word for "seven" because his owner, Satoru, thinks his crooked tail resembles that number. Satoru had for some time been feeding this stray white cat with a crooked black tail and calico patches on his ears when one day he hears him yowling outside  with a broken leg. Although it's a "no pet" apartment building, Satoru is allowed to keep Nana until he heals. But by then, they are attached. The traveling part of the story takes off a few years later and involves visiting old friends of Satoru's from different periods of his life, each of whom he asks to take his beloved cat. But each of them is found wanting by either Nana or Satoru or both, because the truth is, they want to be together. Nana isn't sure why Satoru is now trying to find him another home, but then a dog at one place they visit notices that Satoru smells like he's very sick. As Satoru and Nana travel throughout Japan, we learn of Satoru's history, becoming orphaned as a young boy when his parents were killed in a car crash, and then being adopted by a young unmarried maternal aunt, Noriko, who moves frequently. So Satoru's life has clear stages, and with each comes different interests and new friends. When finally, no satisfactory home is found, Satoru and Nana go to live with Noriko and we learn that Satoru has incurable cancer. The last couple of chapters are tear jerkers, although we are told by Nana that he dreams of meeting up with Satoru when he dies. There is some lovely description of the Japanese countryside, but I struggled to stay with the book early on because the prose felt a bit stilted. Whether that is due to translation or a different writing style, I'm not sure. Nana's commentary is occasionally amusing, supposedly giving us insight into how cats view humans, other animals, and the world around them. This is a book about rescues, friendships, loyalty, and choosing to be happy.
There is a lot more detail in this lovely and lengthy review in the Washington Post, and this from NPR.