First published 2026
Amane Morikawa walks into the bookshop her grandfather left her in Onomichi and discovers dusty shelves with no books. A group of cats has claimed the abandoned space as their territory. The feline residents become her companions as she meets the neighborhood locals. A clockmaker cares for the cats. A photographer lives nearby. A record shop owner becomes part of her growing circle. These encounters pull Amane toward a decision to restore the bookshop to working order. The building needs physical repairs, but something deeper is missing. The cats seem to guard secrets about what the shop truly requires. Amane must discover what will transform the empty space back into a living bookshop. The cats may hold the key to finding that missing element.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, cats, contemporary, books-about-books, slice-of-life
Vibes: contemplative, gentle, intimate, nostalgic, warm, whimsical
Tropes: community-building, found-family, inheritance-mystery, magical-animals
Setting: Onomichi, Japan
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
300 pages · Paperback · HarperCollins