By the acclaimed poet Takashi Hiraide

Translated from Japanese by Eric Selland

Favorite quote: “‘This is where I will live,’ I thought to myself. Perhaps it was because I’d now developed a feeling for the passing of the new seasons in our new abode—as if each new house, each new neighborhood contained its own unique experience of the passage of time”

From the publisher: A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home and no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife — the days have more light and color. The novel brims with new small joys and many moments of staggering poetic beauty, but then something happens…”

Dimensions: 7 x 5 in / 144 pages

Softcover