life begins at retirement

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.