“If cats disappeared from the world, how would the world change? And how would my life change?”

The novel opens with a rhetorical question that references the book’s title and encourages the reader to engage with one of the central themes of the narrative. This quote also foreshadows the Devil’s upcoming bargain.

“Now that’s what you call a weird week.

Oh and by the way—I’m going to die soon.”

This observation conveys the narrator’s characteristic tone of ironic humor. Describing his dramatic and traumatic week as “weird” is a comedic understatement, reinforced by his blasé presentation of his upcoming death as an afterthought.

“I didn’t even have ten things I wanted to do before I die.

In a movie I saw once the heroine is about to die so makes a list of ten things she wants to do before she goes.

What a load of crap.

OK. So maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh. But really, what even goes on a list like that? A load of rubbish probably.”

The postman uses informal, deprecating language to dismiss the concept of creating a bucket list, as well as his own failed efforts. His narrative style is characterized by colloquial language, constant self-corrections, and hypophora—a rhetorical question immediately answered by the asker—which contribute to the intimate feel of the novel.