Book Review : She and Her Cat: Stories by Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa, Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)

My Rating: 4.5⭐

“It’s your life, and you have to make sure you keep enough of it for yourself.”

She and Her Cat: Stories by Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa,(translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori) is a collection four interlinked short stories featuring cats and their humans. The narrative is shared from the alternating perspectives of the cat and his/her human. The cats have struggles of their own from dealing with territorial counterparts, separation from their own, and witnessing the ups and downs in the lives of their human(s) who in turn are dealing with their fair share of troubles relating to love, work, friendships and loss.

The first story Sea of Words features Chobi, who was rescued from a cardboard box by Miyu. His infatuation with Miyu (his referring to her as his “girlfriend” is adorable) and his concern for her when she is upset or heartbroken is beautifully portrayed as is his helplessness when he admits that all he can do to help her is stand by her when she is troubled. “I couldn’t do anything about her problems. I just lived my days at her side.”

We also get to meet Jon, a neighborhood dog, Shino’s pet who is wise and settles any dispute among the cats who also look up to him for knowledge and advice.

The second story First Blossoming features Reina a talented art student who is struggling and Mimi, a stray cat who was abandoned as a kitten. Weaker than the rest of the litter and hard of hearing, she is determined to make it on her own. She befriends Reina who names her Mimi after the cat she had as a child. In this story, we also meet Kink Tail with whom Mimi has a romantic encounter and Kuro, the feral cat who befriends the other cats. The story follows Mimi and Reina and the events that lead to Mimi becoming Reina’s cat.

The third story Slumber and Sky tells us the story of Aioi who is grieving the loss of her best friend Mari and Cookie, the kitten who her mother adopts. Initially, Aioi’s grief is all-consuming but gradually Cookie finds her way into Aioi’s heart.

The fourth story The Temperature of the World revolves around Kuro the feral cat who eventually gives up his independence to become a part of Shino’s household after the demise of her pet.

The authors have done a wonderful job of portraying how our furry friends can provide warmth companionship and comfort amid the trials and tribulations of modern life. The authors do an incredible job of blending the alternating narratives. I enjoyed the POVs of Chobi, Mimi, Cookie, Kuro and Jon I loved their observations on human behavior and relationships, their closeness and concern for the people around them and their opinions on the way humans go about their daily lives. Their POVs are rich in emotion, humor and wisdom. I loved how the stories come together in the end. Touching upon themes of loneliness, grief, depression and the significant impact that our furry friends can have in our lives, this is a lovely, heartwarming read that will strike a chord in your heart.

I paired my reading with the incredible audio narration by Hana Teraie-Wood, Nile Faure-Bryan, Jacqui Bardelang, Julia Strowski and Winson Ting.

“People who are too earnest can’t bring themselves to blame others, so they end up blaming themselves and suffering for it.”