Sakura of DOOM

Sadly, this is not quite as charming as its predecessor, but then, I think that may be an impossible task. Still, it's a worthwhile read, although the last story is somewhat awkward, as it tries to Teach Us About Racism.

The first story is about the cat and his journeys with the rabbi's cousin Malka and his lion; I love how you can't quite tell what's fact and what's fiction as Malka tells his tales. And! As bonus, there is a hilarious talking snake, although this snake is more sinister and less amusing than Koh of Silver Diamond. Even so, the conversations among the cat, the lion, and the snake are priceless.

The second story is the One About Racism, and I was poised to like it until the ending. The rabbi, a Russian Jew, and several other people, decide to go find the Ethiopian Jews and encounter many adventures along the way. Unfortunately, Sfar seems to be espousing the typical viewpoint that judging people based on race is bad (which I agree with) and leaving it at that (which I don't agree with); he ends by showing that the Ethiopian Jews are just as prejudiced as the Jews who refused to marry the Russian Jew and his black sweetheart. Which, okay, I'm sure it's true, but not the point!

I still think it's worth reading, but had I known the ending of the second story, I might have skipped the last few pages so I could keep an untarnished memory of the series.

I love this. LOVE.

In 1930s Algeria, a rabbi's cat eats a parrot and miraculously gains the power of speech.

Well, it's miraculous to the cat, as much as cats are amazed by things. The rabbi sees it as a miracle and a misfortune, as the first thing the cat does is lie. The cat then claims he is not Jewish, then demands a bar mitzvah. The rabbi, understandably confused, goes to seek his rabbi, and things sort of go on from there.

The cat is so very cat-like:

The rabbi tells me that of course I'm Jewish, since my masters are Jews. I tell him that I'm not circumcised. He tells me that they don't circumcise cats. I tell him that I haven't had a Bar Mitzvah. He tells me that the Bar Mitzvah occurs at thirteen years of age. So I tell him that I am seven years old, and for cats, the years are multiplied by seven; therefore, it's as if I were seven times seven years old, which is definitely more than thirteen. I tell him that if I am a Jewish cat, I want to be bar-mitzvahed.

Some of the charm is lost in the quote because you can't see the accompanying panels, which are scribbly and reddish and almost misshapen, but just enough to perfectly capture the tilt of the cat's head and the slyness in his eyes.

The rest of the book is about ordinary things: will the rabbi pass his dictation test? How will his daughter's marriage turn out? But it is so perfect and funny and charming and true true true, nevermind that it is being narrated by a cat. I love the cat and I love the rabbi and I love his daughter Zlabya. I love how they are selfish and kind and petty and generous; I love the rabbi's nonkosher meal; I love Zlabya's shopping trip; I love the lion; and most of all, I love the cat.

I am only sorry that I didn't buy this before when Mely first blogged about it.

Go read this.

Links:
- coffeeandink's review
- buymeaclue's review