People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice by Ao Omae

“With ordinary things they had done suddenly being criticized, many felt like they and their ordinary lives were under attack.”

“Who cares if you can’t stand up for yourself? There’s nothing wrong with not being able to stand up for yourself. The problem is that people make you have to stand up in the first place.”

This book has four stories—each of them deep, quiet, and sad in a way that sneaks up on you. But two of them really stayed with me. One hit me right in the heart, and the other made me feel strangely hopeful.

The title story, People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice, felt very close to home. I loved how it showed that being kind, even silently, still matters. It’s about those of us who carry things inside, who don’t want to burden anyone. That feels very Japanese to me—this quiet way of thinking, “Don’t make your problems someone else’s problem.” It’s not that you don’t feel pain—it’s that you care so much about others, you’d rather hurt alone than risk hurting someone else.

I’ve done that. For years I’ve talked to myself in my head—entire conversations, ideas, stories. I’ve kept so much in that I forgot how to say things out loud. Sometimes I’d already “said” it in my mind, so I just… didn’t say it at all.

But here’s the twist: I want the people I love to tell me everything. I want to be their safe space. Their soft landing. Their stuffed animal.

There’s a line in the book that says:

“If you’re having a hard time, it’s better to talk to someone. But the person you direct those hardships at might get sad or hurt. That’s why we should talk to stuffed animals.”

That made so much sense to me. It’s not about being childish—it’s about surviving. About having someone, even if they don’t talk back.

The book also talks a lot about being “too nice”—how sometimes, being polite can start to feel like being distant.

“No one asked her where she had been. Because they were nice. It was very similar to indifference.”

That line hit hard. How often do we not ask questions just to avoid making someone uncomfortable? But that silence can feel like nobody cares. There’s a thin line between respect and coldness.

It also says a lot about gender, about how the world treats people who don’t fit into neat little boxes. There’s a quote I won’t forget:

“With ordinary things they had done suddenly being criticized, many felt like they and their ordinary lives were under attack.”

As a woman without kids, I get that. Sometimes it feels like you’re “wrong” just for existing outside the expected path. And it takes real strength to not fold under that pressure.

And then there’s this gem:

“Who cares if you can’t stand up for yourself? There’s nothing wrong with not being able to stand up for yourself. The problem is that people make you have to stand up in the first place.”

Yes. That. The world forces people to fight just to be heard or seen, and then calls them weak when they can’t. It’s not fair.

The second story that really stayed with me is Realizing Fun Things Through Water. It’s about a girl who lived with her sister her whole life—until one day the sister just runs away. Two years pass. She reports her missing. Writes messages to her every day. Nothing.

In the meantime, she meets a man. She’s not sure what love is or if what she feels is real. But eventually, she lets him in. And one day, she shows him the messages she’s been writing to her sister. That tiny act of vulnerability changes something. Her sister finally replies. She says she’s happy.

That’s it. No big explanation. Just “I’m happy.” But it’s enough. It’s something. It’s closure, maybe. Or at least peace.What really touched me about this story is the reminder that even introverts, even people who prefer to be alone, still need someone.

“When things are rough, even if you can’t explain why they are, it’s reassuring to have a nonthreatening presence around.”

Yes. Sometimes just knowing someone is there is enough. You don’t always need solutions. Just presence.

This book is soft, emotional, and full of quiet truths. It doesn’t shout. It just gets it.

It’s for people who’ve held things in for too long. For anyone who talks to themselves, or to stuffed animals, or who writes messages they never send. It’s for those of us who want to be kind without falling apart. Who want to be strong, but not at the cost of our softness.

And honestly? Don’t be shy to talk to a stuffed animal. Or to yourself. Or to someone who feels safe. You don’t have to explain everything. You don’t need a perfect reason. Just having someone—or something—there with you can be enough.

There’s nothing weird about needing comfort. There’s nothing weak about needing people. We all do. Even the quiet ones. Especially the quiet ones.