Cats of the Louvre

Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto, 428 pages

In this beautiful book, Matsumoto presents two dovetailing stories: that of the cats who live in the attic of the Louvre and that of Louvre employees Marcel and Cecile, who are convinced that Marcel's sister disappeared into one of the museum's paintings as a child. And the Louvre itself is as much a character as any cat or human.

The story is quiet and, for the most part, calm (much like the museum at night), and exquisitely told. It is presented in the traditional Japanese manga style (reading right to left, both in pages and within panels) and while that may present a challenge to those who are unfamiliar with the format, I highly recommend giving it a try with this book. A beautiful book, and a beautiful story.