"If Cats Disappeared from the World"
I restarted reading somewhat recently (around 1.5-2 years now?) and I started developing a high bar for books with a sole male narrator/ character.
Maybe it's not a high bar, but a low tolerance?
The book, "If Cats Disappeared from the World" by Genki Kawamura, really made me realize my greater apprehension for male povs. The book is about a guy who learns he is about to die in days because of an illness. He is suddenly given a bargain from the devil, "... for every extra day you gets to live, you must choose one item to erase from existence (clocks, water bottles, cats, etc.)..." or something like that.
- Spoiler Warning -
At it's core, the book is meant for the readers to reflect on their life, their choices, and living everyday day by day. However, the main character is simply a selfish fuck. I really disliked the narrator, his decisions, and his reasoning. Man, I just did not like him.
Maybe I don't enjoy reading books with unlikable main characters? Was the main character purposely written to be unlikable? Not sure.
"If Cats Disappeared from the World" has a similar message to "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig - that you should enjoy life and live without wallowing in regrets.
Personally, the Midnight Library felt more nuanced, it made me reflect on my decisions (accomplishing the shared message between the two books), and I didn't hate the main character! Was it because the main character is a lady? The more I think about, I don't think so.
The most I ever reflected while reading the "If Cats Disappeared" was when the main character decided to give up clocks; it became a discussion on how time isn't real and it's a construct made by man (to support capitalism or something).
The entire book just felt inherently selfish because each item he choose to remove for existence was so closely tied to the lives of his loved ones. After some more thought, I also don't think he was purposely written as an unlikable character who goes through character growth and shit. Which makes me dislike him even more because, how are you written to be an average Joe but you're so selfish and dislikable?
- End of Spoiler -
"Under the Whispering Door by" T.J. Klune is another book whose message is about life, reflection, regrets, etc. (highly recommend) and it's written from a (purposefully) unlikable narrator. However, you can actually see the character growth as he gains empathy and accepts death.
The easy answer is, I don't like the book because the narrator is a man. But, that's not right. I've actually read a decent (definitely not a whole lot) of books written from a guy's point of view. "If Cats Disappeared from the World" just felt like it was written from someone who has an inherently selfish view on life. I do not fuck with.