Haruki Murakami’s essay “Abandoning a Cat,” originally published seven years ago in The New Yorker, has been expanded into a new small hardcover book set to be released in the United States this month. While the narrative centers on an episode involving a cat that Murakami and his father left behind, the story serves as a gateway to exploring broader themes of memory, family, culture, and identity.

The essay opens with Murakami reflecting on his memories of his father, acknowledging their natural abundance but also their elusive and fragmented nature. Murakami admits that these recollections often lack full context or are difficult to interpret, revealing how memory can offer cold comfort rather than clarity.

The key incident involves the couple’s decision to leave an older female cat at a beach, a moment Murakami does not fully understand or recall the reason for. To their surprise, the cat managed to find its way back home, much to his father’s initial shock, followed by relief. The event was never discussed again within the family, remaining a tacit and unresolved memory.

Murakami draws parallels between the cat’s resilience and his father’s own experiences. His father had been sent as an adolescent to apprentice at a temple, a move some families made with hopes of adoption by the priest’s family. However, Murakami’s father was unable to adjust and returned to Kyoto. The impact of this rejection appears to have left a lasting emotional mark, another unsaid chapter in their family history.

Throughout the book, Murakami approaches these memories with a tone of quiet introspection and restraint, deliberately acknowledging the limits of his understanding. The narrative evokes a sense of universal vulnerability, exploring how personal and collective histories are shaped by gaps, silences, and unspoken truths.

Though centered on a seemingly small incident, “Abandoning a Cat” delves into themes of abandonment, survival, and the complexity of family relationships. Murakami’s work invites readers to consider how memory shapes identity and how fragments of the past resonate with broader cultural and existential questions.