Unconditional: Stories of Women and the Animals They Love

An intimate and moving collection of stories about women and their life-changing relationships with animals, told in vivid graphic novel style. In Unconditional, popular illustrator and writer Cat Willett explores the deep, sometimes transcendent relationship between women and their animal companions. The animals she’s shared her life with have pulled her through difficult times, accompanied her through growth and transition, and taught her a great deal about pain and loss. Using rich, full-color illustrations, she shares illuminating stories of different women and their pets, including: Terra and her parrot, Pooja, grieved together when Terra’s mother passed away from pancreatic cancer. Tuck and Liza, two cats adopted in Ukraine and Poland, helped Brianne cope with the challenge of waiting for her journalist husband to return from an assignment in a war zone. Hyesu adopted her dog, Dutch, from a shelter and found calm and support for her anxiety. Finn, Pam’s rabbit, helped her redefine the meaning of family while providing companionship and support living in a big city far from home. With these honest, pure retellings, as well as her own stories, Willett reveals the mutual bond that grows when animals are invited into our sphere and how meaningful those relationships can be.