MR. KATO PLAYS FAMILY by Milena Michiko Flašar, translated by Caroline Froh, & narrated by Brian Nishii is another quietly contemplative novel about finding a second lease on life.

⭐⭐⭐💫

I am a sucker for a curmudgeonly character, and Mr. Kato is certainly that! He is recently retired and finding himself at a loss. He takes his walks, wishing for the dog his wife has said he can't have, and runs into a girl who recruits him for a job pretending to be a family member for others. In his various roles, he wonders how he can be the kind of man for these strangers that he doesn't seem to be for his own family. Is this the chance he has to practice a new way forward?

I did enjoy listening to this audio. The narration seemed to easily take me through the stages of the novel.

It is a quietly thoughtful story that gives a fascinating idea of getting to try out personas. I also found that the "RHS" / Retired Husband Syndrome is probably a situation that many may find themselves; unprepared for life transitions. There were layers of his feeling suffocated by expectations that took time to unravel.

I did hope for a bit more from this story. I think, for me, I wanted either more humor or quicker growth from Mr. Kato, but I am not exactly sure. It was definitely one to think about!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for sharing this advanced listening copy for my thoughts! This title will be available on audio June 19th.

Mr kato plays family by Milena Michiko Flašar. Published June 2023. Kato is retiring. He is bored with his life and his family. When he begins being a family to others He learns how to be one to his own

I think Mr Katō Plays Family serves as a really interesting character study, but if you're looking for a story with a lot of growth you'll find this one lacking. It's a fairly short and thoughtful read, but I truthfully am not quite sure how I feel about it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Mr Kato Plays Family is a fun blend of A Man Called Ove and playing family, while dealing with the complex nature of aging, relationships, and family. Slow moving, but a great story that I highly recommend!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a quick, decent read. It didn't blow me away but it also didn't impress me, which also feels like that suits the story? I don't know but overall a decent read. The narrator was okay as well.

1.5 stars.

I’m sad to say that I DNFed at 25%. I simply could not get into this book. I think it was partly because I was not a fan of the narrator and also partly because the book is, to put it bluntly… boring. I felt that the narrator had weird inflections that didn’t really match what was being read, which made it really difficult for me to become engaged.

It is a short book, which should help, but I couldn’t care less about the characters. There just wasn’t really anything to keep me going. It’s been compared to “A Man Called Ove,” and I would say that it’s a watered down attempt if you want to compare the two.

It’s too bad this book was such a disappointment for me because it really sounded like it had so much potential. Maybe others will feel differently.

I was so looking forward to this one. I’m a huge fan of A Man called Ove and had high hopes for this story, which is compared to that. Unfortunately, the story just didn’t have the feels I was hoping for.

I adored this story. Definitely gave me “a Man Called Ove” vibes.
Mr. Kato is retired and is contemplating what has gone wrong in his life. He feels as though he is in his wife’s way so he ends up taking lots of walks and on one of those walks he meets Mie, a woman who runs a business offering “stand in” services for people who need someone to fill in for a family member at an event or party or whatever. Initially Mr Kato resists, but then decides to take on a job with Mie filling in as a long distance grandfather for a boy. It helped him to see what he was missing in his relationships with his own children and his relationship with his wife. He learns that life is what you make it-something we all need to remember sometimes.
This was fairly short-I listened to it in one afternoon. And I enjoyed the accent of the narrator.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

Mr. Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flasar is a novel that I would not normally selected but because it referenced A Man Called Ove, I requested it. While I enjoyed the narrator, I knew right from the beginning that this was not the novel for me. Very slow speed and not much going on which caused me to become bored of the story and lose track of what was going on. I found myself zoning out only to rewind numerous times.

While I am sure there will be some who enjoy this novel, it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator was excellent. His voice was perfect for this character. Unfortunately, I was bored by the story. This just wasn't for me.

My Thoughts…
About The Narration: The narration was ok and a voice that matched the tone / pace of the novel. I preferred to listen at 1.5x but be pre-warned that there is a slight breath (inhale?) after each phrase / sentence and once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it.

About The Book:
This book is based on an interesting idea, but is more of a slow burn that focusses primarily on the main character’s reflection on his life. I did find it pretty down-beat and the main character is not very likeable. Interesting that this novel seemed to get higher reviews in its original language… perhaps some of the charm is lost in translation. Overall an ok story, 2.8 stars (rounded up to 3 here)

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you like low-key characters with a melancholy personality
🔹 you are wondering about perspectives from people who dread retirement

Mr Kato is a retiree at loose ends. It seems he’s lived his life mostly in his head and forgot to actually get to know and connect with those in his life.

Now he’s facing the fact that nothing is really as he’d like it to be and he doesn’t really know his family or friends.

Tbh, he comes across as a selfish person used to being catered to and now upset that he’s fumbling.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook. I didn't completely understand stand the storyline. I don't know if it was because of the translation or that I didn't particularly care for the main character.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars for this quirky retired man who learns later in life how to appreciate his family and what he has through some unusual circumstances.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I’m not sure what to say about this book…. It was so confusing for me to follow as an audiobook. It jumped all over the place and then ended abruptly. Maybe I would have liked it more as a physical book??
I was expecting it to be more like A Man Called Ove- it was a bit similar, but not exactly.
I thought it had cute moments and I loved the narrator. I’m not sure if I would want to buy the book though.

Review of the audiobook narrated by Brian Nishii
5 stars
The narrator's voice is interesting and clear at speeds 0.5-2x so this audiobook should be accessible to everyone.
Also, the book is separated in fairly short chapters, which makes the audiobook easy to pick up for a small amount of time (like in transit) without losing the thread of what's happening.

Review of the book
3 stars
It's quite rare I find myself disappointed that a book is so short, but I feel like the interesting premise didn't feature enough? I wish we'd gotten to see the main character experience more "roles" as he's going through his "growing" phase.
That said, I liked the story and I was rooting for Mr Katō as he learned to better appreciate the significant people in his life.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Quite sweet and a wonderful reader. A little slow paced at times, but I think that is part of its charm.