Mornings Without Mii is the memoir of a writer's life with her cat. That is the entire story. And yet within those parameters there is an entire world of love and longing, of living in and without nature, of relationships and responsibilities. Although covering completely different ground, the book this most reminds me of is Jill Ciment's memoir from earlier this year, Consent. Both books are alarmingly honest glimpses into the authors' lives - impossibly vulnerable details delivered in clear, concise language. I found both books devastatingly brutal and beautifully loving at the same time. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC.

In one sense, this memoir was a difficult read. I am not sure if it was the translation or the author's writing style, but I struggled at times with the language. I do not share a cultural context with Mayumi Inaba, I had to work to understand the time and place she describes. These are not negatives in my mind. I think reading should challenge us at times. Sure, I love a fluffy comfort read now and again. But I also like books which stretch me in new and interesting ways. There were off-hand observations I found utterly appalling, and beautiful turns of phrases I rolled around on my tongue to savor. Any effort I put into the book was richly rewarded. In another sense, this was an easy read. It is short and much of it covers ground familiar to anyone who has loved a pet.

I treasured this glimpse into a life so different from my own.

This book was first published in 2014 in Japan and is the memoir of a woman and her relationship with her cat. She first finds Mii as a kitten in 1977. She was stuck in a fence, most likely put there by some awful person. For the next 20 years, Mii is her best friend, child and constant companion. I enjoyed the love story part of it because I love cats and have been very bonded to several of them over the years. I also enjoyed the beautiful poetry at the end of each chapter. 

There were some parts I didn't like that I want to warn sensitive people about. I know I appreciate knowing things ahead of time if they are going to bother me so I can choose to pass or not. The author referred to several strays or neighborhood cats that did not have good lives. This is in several chapters so you may want to skip this book if that will bother you. Overall, though it is a beautiful love story.

This is truly a beautiful and feeling story of the love we have for our furry companions! Some parts were a little sad but, overall it was heartwarming! My feel good, go to! Highly recommend this!

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.