She and Her Cat: Stories
Makoto Shinkai
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.
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
03.75 stars.
Wholesome and charming, She and Her Cat is the perfect little collection of stories for cat lovers everywhere.
There’s something so special and authentic in the way Shinkai portrays the connection between the women in these stories and their cats. That’s definitely something that stands out in this novel, the connections at every corner that immerse you into the characters’ interesting and complex relationships with themselves, their furry friends, and even each other.
I loved the way the different perspectives merged at varying points, creating a sense of community and warmth that made reading this book even more emotional for me than I had originally anticipated.
It’s incredible how such a tiny book can so perfectly capture the gentle love of a girl and her cat and the tender moments that punctuate the stress and misfortune of everyday life. And, gives us a look into the world of our pets, whose lives can be filled with much more complexity and excitement than we might ever know.
She and Her Cat provides such a heartwarming perspective, showcasing the dual point-of-view of cats and their humans. The alternating perspectives are so well blended, and do an outstanding job of portraying how healing the companionship of pets can be for humans going through the many trials of life.
Without a doubt, these stories will stick with me for a long time, and will always remind me just how much my cats mean to me.
Simple yet so impactful, this book is truly such a beautiful read.
0this book either suffers from poor translation or poor writing. a lot of the sentences didn’t flow well and i found some of the dialogue really cringe. some of the conversations felt way too Disney Channel Original Movie even with the adult characters and i wasn’t a fan of that at all. for a book that’s not advertised as YA, it certainly felt like YA.
there were some moments that were sweet and i liked some of the cat characters. i expected this to be a cozy read, and it was, but sadly a lot of the elements didn’t work for me.
i’m not going to bother posting my individual ratings for the plot, characters, etc. because this book is simply feeling like a 2
0
© 2024 Pagebound