She and Her Cat: Stories (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko)

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

With clever narration alternating between the cats & their oowners She & Her Cat  offers a unique & sly commentary on human foibles & 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 wondrous world—often in ways we could never have expected.

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

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