by Junichiro Tanizaki

Considering all Ive sacrificed, is it too much to ask for one little cat in return?

Shinako has been ousted from her marriage by her husband Shozo and his younger lover Fukuko. Shes lost everything: her home, status, and respectability. Yet the only thing she longs for is Lily, the elegant tortoiseshell cat she shared with her husband. As Shinako pleads for Lilys return, Shozos reluctance to part with the cat reveals his true affections, and the lengths hell go to hold onto the one he loves most.

A small masterpiece, A Cat, a Man, and Two Women is a novel about loneliness, love, and companionship of the most unexpected kind. In this story of Japanese society and manners, Tanizaki gives us a perfectly-formed oddball comedy, and a love triangle in which the only real rival is feline.

A tour de force catnip. New York Times

One of the finest pieces of literature concerning cats ever written. Choice

Tanizaki is a very brilliant novelist. Haruki Murakami