The Key Things
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Cats, Magical Realism
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis: Early morning, 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, Grimalkin the cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat and lick his favorite human's hand. But this is to be his last day on earth…before he becomes the Ghost Cat.
Follow Grimalkin as he witnesses the changes of the next 120 years, prowling unseen among the inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement while unearthing some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship.
The Review
The Ghost Cat is the second book that my book club, Tea Time Tales, has read this year (give me a break, the book club was only established in September!). So let’s dive into my own review of here:
Most of the time, when I start a new book, I have a rough idea of what I expect from it; where I expect the story to take me, or what emotions I expect to feel. I can safely say, however, that the Ghost Cat managed to take me by surprise (and that’s not a bad thing).
The Ghost Cat takes us on a journey as our main character, Grimalkin, is granted the ability to live out the rest of his nine lives. The only catch? He’s living them out as a ghost. This takes us, as readers, on a journey as we view the changes ages through Grimalkin’s eyes.
Now, when it comes to the actual plot and details of the story, this is as far as I’ll go. It is a short novel, after all, and if I go any deeper then there might not be much sense for you to read it yourself; this is something I encourage you to do.
Alex Howard was able to find a delicate balance between giving us just enough where as readers, we completely understand what is going on, but he also puts us into the mind of Grimalkin enough that we can also understand how certain events or certain behaviours might not make that much sense.
Howard also touches on some very poignant topics around life, death, and loneliness; these only making more sense if you’ve read the book. All in all, this was a book that made me laugh, made me cry, and honestly, even made me very irritated at times. And a book that is able to evoke multiple emotions from me, is a good book, in my opinion.
Howard’s clear usage of footnotes also adds an extra layer of depth to his writing and the story overall. In a way, it acts as a way of breaking the fourth wall, so to speak but it also keeps us grounded in the present and gives us some tidbits from real-life events.
This is the type of story where I could definitely find myself wanting more; more of Grimalkin and Eidilh’s relationship, more time in each era, more hauntings. Just…more. At the same time, I also feel that this book works for the length that it is. It gives us just enough without feeling like I am lost, as a reader. I wonder is it a good thing if a book leaves us wanting more?
Favorite Quotes
As this is a very short read, I want to share just one quote from this book that really stuck out to me and it is one that, I think, really sums up the atmosphere of the book as a whole.
Suddenly he realised the root of his loneliness: it wasn’t just the loss of Eilidh, it was the suffocating burden of holding knowledge he could do nothing with.
The Conclusion
The Ghost Cat is a book that’s going to make you laugh, make you cry, and allow you to experience 120 years all in the space of a mere 272 pages. If you love cats, and if you’re okay with having your heartstrings pulled on sometimes, then I highly recommend this one!