Nilanjana Roy

while i am glad i read this book and found both the premise and the setting interesting, i was never really caught up in the story, so didn't love it. i found it to be a little predictable - of course things are going escalate to a clash with the shuttered house's ferals - and a bit simple in its style. i had to double-check on this book as i noticed a few people on goodreads shelved this as 'YA' (not that that is a reliable identifier at the best of times, heh). the book was not published into the YA market, but in the 'literary fiction' and 'fantasy' genres/markets. i can see why some would feel it to be a bit YA-y -- though some of the scenes could be very troubling to younger readers, so i would endorse this for 16+, if they are used to reading emotionally tough stuff, or graphic violence.

i think my main issue was that i never really bought into the voices and personalities of the cats. it still felt too human. (though, who's to know,right?) i kept thinking of Fifteen Dogs. (which would be a great companion read, if you are equal opportunity animals as narrators!) Fifteen Dogs was a tough read. the writing is wonderful, but the subject matter was emotionally tough. but i just bought into it so much more than i did with Roy's novel. both books are really morality tales turned on their head to feature animals instead of humans. and it is an effective and affecting device.

so as to not be totally bah-humbug (and, really, i am glad i read the book and will likely read the second one in this series. i just didn't LOVE it.) -- my favourite bits of the book were with the kittens mara, and southpaw. and, in particular, mara's interactions with her zoo friends - a family of tigers, and a type of monkey. as well, mara's struggle with her nature and her domestication as an indoor cat were lovely to me (though it sometimes felt childish in a human way, for this wee kitten). i also liked Roy's play with 'sending', telepathic linking, and magical realism. additionally, Roy gives voices and personalities to other types of animals - mice, rats, mongoose, birds... but not a single human has a real voice, though they are sometimes peripherally present, the "bigfeet".

this was a different type of read for me, but it's an interesting addition to the 'animals as narrators' field in fiction.… (mere)