Women in Translation

While this promised A Man Called Ove, I didn't find myself connecting in the same way. I will say I liked this a bit more at the end, but slice of life novels are often difficult for me if I'm not super engrossed in the character depictions.

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio

"Mr. Kato Plays Family" by Milena Michiko Flasar is an exquisite masterpiece that delicately explores the complexities of human connection. Flasar's prose is both tender and thought-provoking, immersing readers in the poignant journey of Mr. Kato. The novel's emotional depth, coupled with its unique narrative perspective, creates a profound and unforgettable reading experience. Flasar's ability to evoke empathy and introspection merits "Mr. Kato Plays Family" a well-deserved five-star rating.

This was an intriguing and quirky read, but definitely lacking in substance in my opinion. It was a bit jumbled due to the style of writing, and felt disjointed. I remember parts of the plot, but nothing too memorable except for the premise of 'acting' and stepping in to play the part of one's family member. The rest is a blur. I feel this might be one that needs a re-read to truly be understood and/or beloved- but I don't think I could really force myself to give it a second read. The narration wasn't bad, but I did have to slow down the speed due to the accent and not understanding at the speed I normally listen to.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Mr Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flašar Narrated by Brian Nishii in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Mr Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flašar Narrated by Brian Nishii in exchange for an honest review. It published June 20, 2023.
First off, I really appreciated the narration. It was very well-done.
So, this book, what a quirky story to keep me company for a few days! I found it just so fascinating and interesting and honestly, I would read so much more from this author. This book reminded me of A Man Called Ove, in the fact that it's an elder gentleman learning how to interact with life. If you enjoyed the aforementioned book, you will find this quirky and charming as well!

Mr Kato is retired, and he is at a loss. He’s not sure how to fill his time. When he was working, he was consumed with his work, and now he doesn’t have that anymore. He’s not all that close to his wife, and their kids have moved away. He doesn’t have any hobbies. So what’s left?

On one of his daily walks, he meets a woman named Mie. She has a small business, where she plays different family members for clients who hire her. One client might want a sister, another might want a granddaughter. Whatever they want, that is the character she plays, for a dinner or maybe an afternoon. She has a small group of employees who also offer these services, and she offers Mr Kato a card, in case he wants to hire her or someone who works for her.

When he turns down her generous offer, she has another idea. He could come to work for her. There were plenty of clients who would pay for a man of his age to play a family member. Mie encourages him to think about it, and keep her card in case he decides to call.

More days go by in Mr Kato’s retirement, and he still has to direction. So he makes a decision. He picks up his phone and calls Mie. He will take her offer of a job. For each job, she sends him a specific message describing who he is and what is expected of him. He becomes a grandfather, a husband, a wedding guest. As he spends time with these strangers, pretending to be family for them, he finds himself wondering about his own family. His wife has started taking dancing lessons. Why would she do that at this time in her life? How is his daughter doing? How is his son?

Although his time working for Mie is short, it gives Mr Kato enough distance from his own family to gain a fresh perspective. He starts to see things differently, and then he starts treating his loved ones differently. And when life forces changes on him, he is finally willing to accept the changes he had been resisting for so long. He can be in the moment. And them, his new life is just beginning.

Mr Kato Plays Family is a short book, but it is packed with heart and compassion. It takes a hard look at the roles we get locked into, often without realizing it, and offers hope for change. This isn’t the easiest book to read (or to listen to—I had the audio book), as time skips around a little, and Mr Kato is an unreliable and myopic narrator of his own life. But the payoff for the story is well worth your time.

I listened as narrator Brian Nishii read the story, and I thought his voice was captivating. Because of the nature of the writing, I did have to start over at one point, but once I did, I stuck with this story to the end. There are some lovely surprises and a moving resolution, and it’s one of those books that make you feel a little better about the world. At least, it did for me.

Mr Kato Plays Family would be especially good as a book club read, as it brings up a lot of questions about family, work, retirement, and the choices we make. There is a lot to unpack in this book.

A copy of the audiobook for Mr Kato Plays Family was provided by Macmillan audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I couldn’t bring myself to finish this book. The marketing is *partially* to blame here. Comparing this book to Ove was a bad move. If there is humor in Mr. Kato, I didn’t find it. I was hoping for this book to be quirky and heartfelt like; Ove, All the Lonely People, Eleanor Oliphant…but this stream of consciousness was not one I enjoyed swimming in.

I found the comments about infertility to be abhorrent and juvenile. I mean “problems downstairs”? Is this bad translation? Did the author think this would come across as ignorant in a cute way somehow?

Same for the impressions of the homeless character, being unhoused isn’t something to be played for amusement as it was attempted to be here. Oh, he can stay because he isn’t negatively impacting the CHARM of your area? Not funny, not quirky, just ignorant…

A frustrating disappointment because the actual premise sounded so interesting, but I don’t want to be in Mr. Kato’s head or world anymore.

This was ok. It was a cute plot line, but it really didn't seem to have much depth for it nor was anything truly happening in the book.

Mr.Kato is retired and every day his wife sents him out to take a walk on one of his walks he decides to go to places in his neighborhood he’s never been in while in the cemetery he runs into a girl name Maya she has a “rent a relative“ type of business and wants Mr. Cato to take part, he eventually decides to do it and gives her a call. through the couple of jobs he goes to and makes him see his own family in a different way but the last job him and Maia go on opens his eyes immensely. This was such a great book I love Mr. Cato‘s in her dialogue I loved his memories with his wife how they reenacted the scene from the French movie. He was such an old curmudgeon but so lovable. I thought the narrators affect could’ve been more intergetic but still found his voice enjoyable and found this an all-around great listen. Forgive any mistakes I’m blind a dictate my review I want to thank NetGalley in McMillan audio for the free ARC copy.

I don't know how to rate this book. I've been thinking and thinking. I didn't "really like it." "Like" is the wrong word. I would say that this traditional rate/review format is ill-suited for Mr Katō Plays Family. Mr Katō Plays Family is perfect for literary book clubs. I am still left trying to figure out exactly what I read. The story feels just surreal enough, and not just because of the "playing family." I haven't read Beautiful World, Where Are You, but I have read A Man Called Ove. Yeah, both books feature retired men as their main characters, but that's kind of where the similarities stop. _I_ kept being reminded of (the beautiful and glorious) Kitchen, and not just because of the Japanese setting. Both works are elegant and too short-- you want more! Both books are set in a world you recognize but yet still feels like fantasy.

I enjoyed Brian Nishii's narration. His vocal tone suited the main character, soft and rough at the same time. Slightly hoarse. Whomever selected Brian Nishii chose well.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook. I'm recommending it. To whom? I'll know them when I meet them. Mr Katō Plays Family is _unique._

I really wanted to like this audiobook, but I felt like nothing really happened and Mr.Kato was extremely frustrating. It was really hard to hear his never-ending negative thoughts about his children and his wife. It very sad to me that he seemed so little involved and/or didn't care about them at all. It was a very selfish POV the entire time and for that reason I wasn't super involved in his character.

The redeeming quality about this book is that it was interesting to get to learn a little more about Japanese culture. I enjoyed Mr. Kato's little nuances and appreciated how much he yearned for time to slow down.

Mr Kato Plays Family compares itself to A Man Called Ove. While both do star elderly men who have lost their love for life, this title is unfortunately devoid of the heart and development that is present in those it compares itself against.

What starts out as a fairly charming story about a retired old man (who wants a dog, but cannot get one!) unfortunately spirals into something confusing to follow. The narrative spins into long winded tangents that left me confused as to where it was going, and unfortunately, I didn’t feel as though Mr Kato’s experiences at “playing family” contributes to memorable growth. While it wasn’t bad, it didn’t tug at my heartstrings, or leave me feeling incredibly invested.

The audiobook is well narrated and pleasant to listen to.

The description calls Mr Katō a curmudgeon, which isn't how I'd describe him. He just seems a bit out of step with the rest of the world, puzzled by what others consider "normal," and craving something "real."

So, when he meets Mia, who introduces him to the world of being a "professional family member," it helps fill a void that he's been struggling to come to terms with and gives his life and relationships meaning again.

It was a beautiful story of his blossoming as he saw what an impact loneliness could have on people, and how a kind word or gesture can do so much to connect us together.

It gives the reader a lot to think about and I enjoyed the story very much.

Thank you to Milena Michiko Flašar, Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I’m not sure what to think of this book, because I wasn’t sure what was really happening and what was only happening in the mind of the unnamed main character. I actually didn’t think his wife was real for most of this book. He has recently retired, and he feels regret over the things he didn’t accomplish in his life, shame for becoming estranged from his family, and desperation to be noticed. Luckily a strange woman pops out from behind a tree in a cemetery and offers him a job pretending to be someone else.

The book did give me some things to think about, but overall I was just confused and not that interested in the outcome. I did enjoy the narrator of the audiobook.

In the vein of A Man Called Ove, this is a shortish audiobook with a solid narrator. However, the writing is a bit stiff and slow.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Brian Nishii. The narration was great, but it was very hard to get into the story. It was really difficult for me to even figure out what the point of the story was. Mr. Kato is an older gentleman that has become dissatisfied with his life. He meets a woman who is an a company that rents out people to act as different people that those who hire them want them to be. A daughter who has died, a grandfather that a young boy will never know and a husband that a woman wants to divorce are a few examples.

Like other readers, I'm not sure if something has been lost in translation or in the change of cultures. It was supposed to be about him realizing he needed to change to get the most out of his own life. I just really couldn't get into it.

Thanks to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

It was just fine. I wanted more depth and emotions from the story, but in the end it was a pleasant read. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy novels about the human condition and families.

The idea of playing family reminded me the criers at the funerals. Both serve good causes as one gives people family when they are still alive, another after death, so no person would feel alone. But also for likes of Mr. Kato, it is reciprocated. This arrangement helps him to feel like he is part of a community.

This book was recommended to people who liked A Man Called Ove. I could find the same angry outside but soft inside man in this story too. Compared to Ove, Mr. Kato was also little jealous of his wife. Ove could give anything to watch his wife dance again. but Mr. Kato was tiny bit suspicious of dance instructor's motives.

I like to read these kind of novels once in a while because they are good reminders of what you expect from older ages of our lives. They make me more understanding of older people in a way that "yeah, they could do stuff like that and I might end up doing the same".

This one was just a bit too slow for me. The narrator was perfectly fine, but the story simply did not grab me.

I am always intrigued by books that are compared to a man called ove. While I appreciated what this story was doing, I would have loved for parts of it to be longer and more fleshed out. It was definitely a quick and easy read and the audio was great, the narrator nailed the tone. Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

This book was a hard one for me to peg down. While comparing it to "A Man Called Ove" wil be effective in catching some extra readers, I don't think the comparison lands favorably in the end.

Mr Kato is a retired man, trying to grapple with his changing lifestyle and his aging and tired relationship with his wife. While walking one day and pining for the dog his wife won't let him get, he meets Mei, a young woman who offers him a unique job: pretending to be a family member for others. He accepts the position and begins to "play family" with a host of strangers, exploring what family means in the process.

Much of the book is meandering. It isn't written in first person, but it certainly feels that we are lost in Mr Kato's head. Given his contemplative and somewhat confused perspective facing the nearing end of his life, being in his head often felt a bit jarring. I suspect there's a certain amount here that was lost in translation, both in the pacing and style of the book. I found myself expecting a bit more to happen -- more pivotal events, more character growth, more of something I can't quite put my finger on.