It arrived in the summer rain—a white cat, and a turning point in a man’s life…
There is only one creature on earth that enslaves humans willingly.
Every cat you meet holds the power to transform your life.
A novel about cats and humans, telling the story of how cats teach people what love is and how to love.

Summer never wanted a cat. Then his lover left, and a white stray arrived with the rains.
Running a café alone and grieving a future that vanished overnight, Summer gave the cat a name—never expecting that this small, watchful creature would become his teacher. In purrs that meant trust, in paws that pressed silent questions against his skin, the cat showed him how love begins again when you thought it was over.
A tender, healing novella from acclaimed Taiwanese author Chen Xue about the courage to love when you can see exactly where it ends—and why cats make that risk feel worthwhile.

"I gave them a name. That was the moment they walked into my life."

Chen Xue (陈雪)
Born in 1970, Chen Xue is one of Taiwan's most prolific and celebrated literary voices. A graduate of National Central University's Chinese Literature Department, she has published continuously since her debut, transforming a life of turbulence into fiction of haunting power and emotional resonance.

Her unflinching exploration of love, trauma, and identity has earned Taiwan's highest honors, including the 2022 Taipei International Book Exhibition Grand Prize for Fiction and the 2004 China Times Open Book Top Ten Best Books for The Child on the Bridge. She is a five-time nominee for the Taipei Book Fair Grand Prize, with The Lover in the Labyrinth named 2013 Book of the Year (Fiction).

Chen's work transcends borders. Her novel The Child on the Bridge was published in Japanese (2011), while You Can't Die Twice appeared in Brazilian Portuguese. Korean editions include Ten Years of Marriage Equality, Skyscraper, Love Lessons, and Venus.

Her fiction has twice reached the screen: Butterfly (2004), adapted from her novella by Hong Kong director Yan Yan Mak, and Skyscraper (2020), adapted by director Leste Chen as a hit streaming series.
With fierce clarity and lyrical precision, Chen Xue writes to understand—and to heal.