When Harper loses her beloved
husband, she moves homes to get away and start anew, without the old memories,
and hopefully to create new ones. Her decision to do some volunteering at Wispy
Paws animal rescue takes a strange turn when she ends up fostering and ultimately
keeping a calico cat that she names Marble, who has a penchant for cheese and
philosophy. Harper is a dog person so when Marble comes into her life, things
will change. Marble has decreed this is so. The book has alternating points of
view between Harper, the hapless human who knows nothing of the Way of Catness,
and Marble, who expands upon the philosophy contained therein as a guide to
life with a human and managing them; also considering their mental frailty,
their weaknesses, and their ability to be easily swayed by feline cuteness.
The Book of Five Mews (Paw,
Slink, Roar, Tail, and Clarity) falls somewhere between The Book of Five Rings
(a 17th century AD Samurai warrior’s guide) and the 5th
century BC Chinese treatise The Art of War attributed to military strategist Sun
Tzu (if Sun Tzu had ever owned a cat). To say this book is screamingly funny is an
understatement. I am a dog and cat owner. I live in Cyprus (the island of stray
cats) where the general public is encouraged to feed, spay, neuter, and
basically care for the population of ‘outside cats.’ I have my own cat, Bertie, as well as two dogs. An adorable and very pretty ‘outside cat’ called Jasmine
managed to insinuate herself into my life and kept wanting to come inside. I
thought no, she had better have a flea collar. That sealed the deal. Once she
had the flea collar on, it was “Open, Sesame.” Jasmine became an indoor cat.
And that is why I know Jasmine has read The Book of Five Mews and understands
the Way of Catness.
Author MG Rorai understands cats
as well as the weak human living under the cat’s paw. The narrative style is
hilarious. I shrieked with laugher many times, nodded many times, smiled many
times, and said, “Yes, exactly.” Many times. The POV switches from Harper
describing daily activities in winning Marble’s affection (much of the time
with cheese), investigating the art of toys, the delicacy of catnip
(unfortunate results there) and a basic getting to know the foster cat
scenario. On the other hand, Marble delivers a calculated, quasi-philosophical treatise
fittingly couched in elevated language such as a cat of great wisdom would use.
The juxtaposition is hilarious. If you are thinking of getting a cat, or even
if you have a cat and just want to understand your cat’s little idiosyncrasies
and quirky ways better, read this book. If you want a good laugh, read this
book. If you need cheering up, read this book. Cats have been ruling humans
since the time of the great pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Hell, they even managed
to get themselves into the pantheon of gods, so I think felines know what they
are talking about.
M.G. Rorai enjoys hanging with her cats and annoying her husband. Find out more by visiting the author on Facebook and her website.
No comments:
Post a Comment