The Blanket Cats

About

Seven people in various states of personal crisis are each loaned a cat — wrapped in a blanket, delivered to their door. The cat stays for a while, does what cats do, and moves on. Each chapter follows a different borrower: a woman paralyzed by grief, a man whose retirement has left him purposeless, a child navigating her parents' divorce. Shigematsu's structure is simple and effective — the cat is the thread connecting seven standalone stories about people who need something they can't name. The writing is warm without being sentimental, trusting the presence of the cat to do the emotional work that exposition would ruin. A quiet book about the way animals create space for the feelings we can't express to other humans.