Mornings Without Mii
Mornings Without Mii by Mayumi Inaba is a poignant exploration of solitude, independence, and the bond between humans and animals. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on February 25, 2025, this edition spans 192 pages and is presented in English. The narrative begins in 1977 when Inaba discovers an abandoned kitten by the Tamagawa River in Tokyo, leading to a deep connection that shapes her life as a poet and novelist.
Readers will find a reflective journey through Inaba’s experiences over two decades, emphasizing themes of companionship and creativity alongside her cat, Mii. The memoir delves into the complexities of love and grief while highlighting the significance of solitude in the creative process. With its focus on community and culture, as well as the unique relationship between humans and pets, Mornings Without Mii offers an intimate glimpse into the author’s life and the profound impact of her feline companion.
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INDIE BESTSELLER
A New Yorker Best Book of the Year So Far
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“A great love story.” —Sigrid Nunez, The New Yorker
“I have never read a book quite like this. Profoundly real, specific, moving, and beautifully written.” ―Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or
Mornings Without Mii is a beloved Japanese modern classic: a deeply affecting story of solitude, independence, writing, grief, love, and life alongside a cat.
On a cool summer evening in 1977, Mayumi Inaba hears a forlorn cry carried by the breeze off Tokyo’s Tamagawa River. She follows the sound to the riverbank and finds a newborn kitten only the size of her palm dangling from a fence, abandoned. Overcome by tender affection, she takes the cat back to the small apartment she shares with her husband and christens her Mii: so begins an ineffable bond.
Over the next twenty years, we follow Inaba, a poet and novelist by moonlight, as she pursues quiet, solitude, and a room of her own. Through it all, her cat, a fiercely independent creature in her own right, is her confidante and muse.
From the late Mayumi Inaba, a winner of the Kawabata Prize and the Tanizaki Prize, Mornings Without Mii is not just a love letter to companionship: it’s a poignant, searching meditation on the forces that enable us to connect, to create, and to build a life.
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