Description

Chosen as a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by *Literary Hub*, a Most Anticipated Book of the Winter by *The Millions*, and a Best Book of the Month by *Kirkus Reviews*, *Mornings Without Mii* is a treasured modern classic from Japan—an intimate reflection on solitude, independence, creativity, and the quiet companionship of a cat.

On a summer evening in 1977, Mayumi Inaba hears a faint cry drifting through the air near Tokyo’s Tamagawa River. Following the sound, she discovers a tiny, abandoned kitten caught on a fence. Moved by compassion, she brings the fragile creature home to the small apartment she shares with her husband and names her Mii. This simple act marks the beginning of an unspoken yet profound connection.

Over the next twenty years, Inaba, a poet and novelist who writes in the stillness of night, navigates a life devoted to privacy and artistic pursuit. Through all of life’s changes, Mii—fiercely independent in her own way—becomes both a companion and a source of creative inspiration.

Written by the late Mayumi Inaba, recipient of the Kawabata and Tanizaki Prizes, *Mornings Without Mii* is more than a story of companionship. It is a deeply moving meditation on the bonds that shape us, the quiet moments that give life meaning, and the creative forces that allow us to connect, evolve, and redefine our world.