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The Cat and The City (Paperback)

$15.95
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Staff Reviews
You could consider The Cat and The City to be both a novel and a short story collection-- a nimble calico cat winds her way through the lives of many Tokyo residents; young and old, salarymen and yakuza, and so many more. Some know her well, while others get a glimpse-- there are times you wonder if she can even take on her own human form. These characters range from charming to caustic, worlds intersecting throughout this feline's travels without realizing. Brilliantly connected and put together, you'll want to revisit The Cat and the City again and again to connect the dots of these bustling lives.
— From AndrewDescription
I wolfed down these interlocking stories of cats, Tokyo, loneliness and redemption. Congratulations to Nick Bradley on this vibrant and accomplished debut., David Mitchell, via Twitter The Cat and The City is a love letter to Japan and its literature. Bradley's passion for everything from onigiri to Tanizaki's short stories is woven into this book. Bradley was for a time an ex-pat and his insight into their perching state is particularly intriguing. He is also very clearly a man with a great tenderness for cats., Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of HARMLESS LIKE YOU In a very impressive, finely observed debut, Nick Bradley masterfully weaves together seemingly disparate threads to conjure up a vivid tapestry of Tokyo; its glory, its shame, its characters, and a calico cat., David Peace, author of THE TOKYO TRILOGY An inventive, clever and beguiling read. With Tokyo as the backdrop, this is a beautifully written novel about belonging and loneliness, about escape and destruction, where the enmeshed narratives (and a magical cat) bind the city together., Elizabeth Macneal, author of THE DOLL FACTORY Like the street cat that slinks through this, Nick Bradley is endlessly resourceful,
About the Author
Nick Bradley is a graduate of the UEA Creative Writing MA who is currently completing a PhD in Creative & Critical Writing, focusing on the figure of the cat in Japanese literature.
Praise For…
“I wolfed down these interlocking stories of cats, Tokyo, loneliness and redemption. Congratulations to Nick Bradley on this vibrant & accomplished debut.” --David Mitchell
"[A] marvelous debut. . . . Bradley’s juxtaposed narratives paint an unforgettable portrait of Tokyo and capture the mix of isolation and interconnection that shapes modern urban life. Fans of David Mitchell should enjoy this clever work, which charts its own territory through deep immersion in Japanese culture." --Publishers Weekly starred review
Nick Bradley's ingenious choreography of a constantly moving city, is touching, surprising and sometimes heartbreaking. - Guardian
The key pleasure of reading this book is its sprightly vigour - cool but not hipsterish, ambitious but not pretentious - that evokes a similar liveliness in the reader. It makes you feel young again. - John Self, The Times
In a very impressive, finely observed debut, Nick Bradley masterfully weaves together seemingly disparate threads to conjure up a vivid tapestry of Tokyo; its glory, its shame, its characters, and a calico cat. - David Peace, author, The Red Riding Quartet
The Cat and The City is a love letter to Japan and its literature. Bradley's passion for everything from onigiri to Tanizaki's short stories is woven into this book. Bradley was for a time an ex-pat and his insight into their perching state is particularly intriguing. He is also very clearly a man with a great tenderness for cats. - Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author, Go Home!
An inventive, clever and beguiling read. With Tokyo as the backdrop, this is a beautifully written novel about belonging and loneliness, about escape and destruction, where the enmeshed narratives (and a magical cat) bind the city together. - Elizabeth Macneal, The Doll Factory
Tender, delicate, and surprising, The Cat and The City is a lovely, rare progeny of a meeting between the English and the Japanese imagination. - Amit Chaudhuri, author, The Immortals