Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Cat Out of Hell

Cat Out of Hell
by Lynne Truss
Melville House, 2015. 163 pages. Fiction.

Alec Charlesworth, grieving the sudden death of his wife, finds himself in a lonely seaside cabin with just his dog, Watson, his laptop, and a series of strange files his wife, Mary's, colleague has sent telling the story of Wiggy, his missing sister, and a talking cat named Roger. As Alec's investigation becomes more personal, he learns about a group of interconnected nine-lived felines whose intentions for human-kind may not be well-intentioned.

I will admit that there was nothing about this book that was expected. Satanic cats controlled by Beelzebub? Anti-human conspiracies? An all-powerful Cat Master? This book definitely delivers surprises and I'm still waiting to see how I feel about it. It was a very creepy book (I may never own a cat as a result, for my own safety), but combined with a good dose of very dry humor that kept it from taking itself too seriously (if that is even possible to do - we're talking about talking cats controlled by the devil). There was some strong language and more graphic violence than I would have preferred, but I am notoriously unable to stomach violence, so it may not be that graphic to other people. And, if you have read her outrageously funny grammar book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, you will be glad to know that her grammar and punctuation were both impeccable.

JH

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