Mr Katō Plays Family

MILENA MICHIKO FLAŠAR was born in 1980, the daughter of a Japanese mother and an Austrian father. Her 2012 novel, I Called Him Necktie, was a bestseller in Austria, won both the Alpha Literary Prize and the Euregio Pupils’ Literature Prize, and was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. In 2017, Flašar won the Niederösterreich Cultural Prize in Literature. She studied comparative literature at the University of Vienna, and currently is the literary fellow with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts, and Culture.

CAROLINE FROH translates from German, with a fondness for Swiss-German prose. She holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, where she was also a Provost’s Postgraduate Visiting Writer.

“What an extraordinary novel this is! Who wouldn’t want to read about someone invited to slip into other personas? But there is so much more here. The book is utterly original, beguiling, and truthful in the deepest sense of the word. By turns playful, humorous and poignant, this book invites underlining so that a reader may return again and again to certain lines or scenes. I absolutely loved it.” —Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv

“In an atomized society where we feel increasingly distant and isolated from one another, a chance encounter helps a lost retiree keep from retreating. Mr. Kato Plays Family is an elegant ode to the fragile connections that heal us and help us forgive those we love the most.” —Marjan Kamali, National bestselling author of The Stationary Shop

“A fascinating intrigue and a warmhearted book about life, and what you can do to improve it.” —Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, international bestselling author of The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules

“Flašar, an acclaimed author of German and Japanese descent, presents the tender story of a man who must reinvent himself after retirement….Readers will float along with the bemused Mr Katō through the dreamlike prose.” —Booklist

1. If you hired Happy Family, what role would you want the stand-in to play? What scenario would you request?

2. When Mr Katō receives his name from Mie (page 75), we’re reminded that every aspect of his new job is a performance. Yet we’re also reminded that Mr Katō’s “real life” is mostly a performance too. What prevents him from giving voice to his true self? Were you surprised to learn about Mie’s real life, including her mayonnaise obsession?

3. In the first assignment, as Mayor Katō Ryusuke visits Jordan and Rumi, what varying definitions of good parenting and good grandparenting came to mind for you? As Mr Katō wistfully thinks of his own son, who sat on the couch eating chips and reading a book instead of going outdoors to play catch (page 95), he blames his wife for raising a disappointing son. What do these scenes demonstrate about the effect of multiple generations, and conflicting expectations, on shaping who we become?

4. As the eloquent boss at the wedding of Sakura and Hiroshi, Mr Katō witnesses a bittersweet image of love and mortality. How do his career and marriage compare to theirs?

5. When Mr Katō silently absorbs Chieko’s thoughts on marriage and Retired Husband Syndrome, what does he come to understand about his circumstances? How is he affected by his former co-worker, Itō, who appeared to be living the ultimate retirement dream? What does the novel reveal about the impact of workplace culture on identity?

6. Throughout the novel, do gender roles affect the characters’ power and their sense of responsibility? Are the expectations for husbands and wives the same?

7. Mr Katō longs for a dog, specifically a Pomeranian named Shiro, while his wife immerses herself in dance lessons. What emptiness is reflected in these yearnings? What is the source of that emptiness, and is it ultimately filled?

8. Watching Mr Katō’s daughter interact with her parents, what did you observe about their perceptions of each other? How will the new grandson’s childhood be different from his mother’s?

9. When Mr Katō’s son admits he’s on the verge of financial collapse, Mr Katō pats him on the shoulder, something he has wanted to do for a very long time (page 195). What transformations occur in this scene? How does Mr Katō’s relationship with his son contrast with his feelings toward his daughter?

10. In the closing chapters, two highly romantic elements—a bouquet of roses and a trip Paris—take center stage. How do those vignettes lead to new understandings about true love? What strengths and vulnerabilities are woven into Mr Katō’s marriage?

11. Why does theatrical performance, including streaming shows, often make us feel better? Are stand- ins an equally healthy way to cope?

12. What do you predict for the next chapter of Mr Katō’s family?