She and Her Cat: Stories

For fans of Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs and Murata Sayaka’s Earthlings, this Japanese bestseller from renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai features four inspirational and heartwarming vignettes following women and their cats in their quests for love and connection.

Lying alone on the edge of the sidewalk in an abandoned cardboard box, a nameless narrator contemplates the indifferent world around him. With his mother long gone, his only company is the sound of the nearby train. Just as he fears that the end is near, a young woman peers down at him, this fateful encounter changing their lives forever.

So begins the first story in She and Her Cat, a collection of four interrelated, stream-of-conscious short stories in which four women and their feline companions explore the frailty of life, the pain of isolation, and the limits of communication.

With clever narration alternating between the cats and their owners, She and Her Cat offers a unique and sly commentary on human foibles and our desire for connection. A whimsical short story anthology unlike any other, it effortlessly demonstrates that even in our darkest, most lonesome moments, we are still united to this wonderous world—often in ways we could never have expected.

She and Her Cat: Stories

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She and Her Cat: Stories

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Simple but effective, this is a collection of linked stories that will make you feel good. It’s an ode to the animals we love, and how that fits into the modern social landscape.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797151694
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date:	11/22/2022
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.50(h) x 5.00(d)

About the Author

Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese director, writer, producer, animator, editor, cinematographer, voice actor, manga artist, and former graphic designer. He began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996 and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation “She and Her Cat.”

NARUKI NAGAKAWA is a Japanese game and anime screenwriter, and novelist.
NB: Changes have been made to the above author biography which was previously stated incorrectly.

Ginny Tapley Takemori is the award-winning translator of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and other acclaimed Japanese fiction. She lives in rural Japan.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: Sea of Words

Credit: Rohan Eason

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09/05/2022
Filmmaker and writer Shinkai (Your Name) conceives a whimsical and moving linked collection about a group of cats who help their owners find the strength they are unable to see in themselves. In “Sea of Words,” a young admin worker is afraid to ask the man she’s dating about the status of their relationship, and finds comfort from a cat named Chobi, who calls her his “girlfriend.” In “First Blossoming,” Chobi’s cat friend Mimi befriends an art student who decides to drop out of school and work at a design office, but faces immense obstacles in pursuing her dream to be a painter. “Slumber and Sky” follows a manga artist who falls into a deep depression when her childhood best friend suddenly dies the day after they have an explosive argument, but she finds the strength to move forward with the help of Mimi’s kitten, Cookie. While some of the human characters’ backstories feel slightly rushed, the author’s earnest depictions of the friendships between people and felines produces genuine wonder. The stories are rather simple, but they’re sure to satisfy readers looking for a quick pick-me-up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Read on their own or taken as a whole, these heartfelt, insightful stories offer a thematic continuum about the quiet burdens people bear in the modern, often isolated world and how human-animal interactions enrich and embolden lives." —Shelf Awareness

"Multiple shes and cats populate this gratifying, slim novel, which arrives with a decades-long history that undoubtedly underscores its timeless appeal....The greatest humanity, of course, is found in the complex, caring, and insightful four-footed characters." –Booklist

"[A] whimsical and moving linked collection...the author’s earnest depictions of the friendships between people and felines produces genuine wonder...sure to satisfy readers looking for a quick pick-me-up." –Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 06/10/2024
Director and screenwriter Shinkai produced the popular short film She and Her Cat in 1999. The award-winning anime series that grew out of the film is presented here by screenwriter and novelist Nagakawa as a series of short stories. An impressive ensemble of narrators, including Winson Ting, Julia Strowski, Jacqui Bardelang, Hana Teraie-Wood, and Nile Faure-Bryan exquisitely convey the warmth, friendship, and love shared between cats and their owners—a loosely used term, since cats are clearly the real owners. The interconnected stories depict the alternating perspectives of the felines and their women owners. Despairing Mimi is found on a stormy night beside a local train, while proud, feral Kuro deliberates about whether he wants an owner and home. John, a congenial dog, oversees all the neighborhood's cats and shares his own experience and wisdom. Each narrator deftly creates believable distinct cat "voices" and their humorous personalities. The well-rendered women's voices range from angry and frustrated to confident and independent, while details about their past lives add dimension and humanity. VERDICT Each story in this charming collection flows naturally, conveying how owners and their pets understand and nurture each other. The outstanding audio production brings listeners the same audience intimacy as a well-performed play.—Susan G. Baird

Library Journal - Audio

11/01/2022
Originally published in Japan in 2013, this work by director, writer, producer, and animator Shinkai apparently began as a short film he created in 1999. Later adapted into a short anime series in 2016, his book has now been translated into English for U.S. audiences. Comprising four loosely interconnected short stories, it introduces readers to the cats Chobi, Mimi, Kink Tail, Kuro, and Cookie and a dog named John. The pets each narrate their own stories, which are interspersed with the tales told by "owners" Miyu, Reina, Aoi, and Shino. What results are heartfelt anthropomorphic accounts of the life experiences of these animals, which range from homelessness, rejection, motherhood, and loss to their friendships with one another and with humans. The accounts from the human characters are equally touching but on a slightly lesser scale as greater part of the storytelling come from the animals. VERDICT Reminiscent of the animated film The Secret Life of Pets, this work may be short, but it's a surprisingly engrossing and entertaining light read. Readers looking for a quick and overall uplifting work should consider picking up this title, and it's sure to be appreciated by pet lovers all around.—Shirley Quan

Library Journal

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