Intimate, introspective stories about a community of cats that look out for their humans. Four cats – Chobi, Kubo, Cookie and Mimi – roam through four human stories about loss, anxiety, loneliness and grief. While each story is a stand alone tale, dealing with an individual's problems and traumas, the cats know each other as a little community and form almost a collective chorus, with the narration swapping between the feline and human. They observe their human owners in trouble – all women, hence the book's title – and try to nudge them in the right direction. The cats hold a bemused view of the human world, with all its frailties and worries, and feel somewhat superior with their no nonsense attitude to the cycle of life and death. She and Her Cat is the debut novel from anime filmmaker Makoto Shinkai (translated by Naruki Nagakawa). It's a sensitive and intimate portrait of vulnerable people, trying to live the best they can but still struggling. The book's bustling urban environment – of trains and busy streets – adds to the atmosphere of quiet alienation. A gentle, oddly soothing novel about how we come to realise the simple joys of life through suffering and adversity. She and Her Cat, by Makoto Shinkai. Published by Doubleday. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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