A beloved Japanese modern classic about our special connection with cats and how they can change our lives over the course of a lifetime Cat lovers prepare to weep The Times A cat classic Catherine Lacey Profoundly real and beautifully written Elif Batuman Aglow with incidental joys Rivka GalchenOn a cool summer evening in 1977 Mayumi Inaba hears a forlorn cry She follows the sound to the banks of Tokyo s Tamagawa River and finds a newborn kitten dangling from a fence abandoned Overcome by tender affection she takes the cat back to the small apartment she shares with her husband and christens her Mii so begins an unshakeable bond Over the next twenty years we follow Inaba a poet and novelist by moonlight as she pursues quiet solitude and a room of her own Through it all Mii a fiercely independent creature in her own right is her confidante and muse This beloved Japanese modern classic is not just a love letter to companionship it s a poignant searching meditation on the forces that enable us to connect to create and to build a life Reveals the profound respect and compassion that a friendship with an animal can inspire Sigrid Nunez New YorkerTranslated by Ginny Tapley Takemori Readers ADORE Mii A lovely little gem Gentle and enchanti