Here, Kitty

by Hays Blinckmann

Hillsdale, Massachusetts, is a small town ripe with secrets. But it's pretty hard for anyone to keep them after they encounter 16-year-old Kitty Kittrick. As subtle as a thunderstorm, Kitty catches everyone's attention with her bright-colored tracksuits, cheeky questions, and disarming honesty. Lacking the usual teenage insecurities or any regard for social boundaries, Kitty manages to gather Hillsdale's most troubled citizens and pull them from the hot mess they call lives. But this story isn't just about Kitty. It's about the people she affects. Peter, the 25-year-old Yale dropout turned Kitty's tennis coach has yet to grow up. He realizes feeding his elderly parents pot brownies and ridiculing his high-strung brother aren't healthy pastimes. Nina, Kitty's older sister, who has raised Kitty since they were orphaned, is fearful Kitty will learn their darkest family secret but also that she will forever be alone on a Saturday night. Peter's best friend, Dave, hides his Tinder escapades and online gambling habits from his neurotic parents. And the fact he's gay, but that's not his biggest concern. Kitty's newly divorced neighbor Mia is battling an overly ambitious colleague trying to ban books from high school and her ex-husband, who is currently dating her sister. How can she hide loathing them? Meanwhile, her son Adam, 10, is hacking his father's Amazon account to send his family self-help books about narcissism. They are all liars but endearing just the same. The catch? Kitty's number one rule in life is never to lie, especially to the people you love, or about anything, ever, at all. But even Kitty gets tested when a menacing stranger shows up in a rundown Toyota Corolla with a misshapen dragon tattoo and pisses off the Starbucks barista. Here, Kitty is a heartfelt, hilarious story about growing up, taking risks, confronting the past, and learning when to own your mistakes. And not to go to Costco when high. Duh.

332 pages, Paperback

Published February 12, 2023

About the author

About the Author
Hays Trott Blinckmann is a writer, journalist, teacher, and recovering painter. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband and two sons. Her other novels include In the Salt, Where I Can Breathe, Here, Kitty, and the young adult novel Yell Out Loud. They are available on Amazon and at bookstores throughout Key West. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com. As this is a published novel, your reviews and recommendations on social media help Tiny Little Earthquakes reach a wider audience. Thank you for spreading the word—places, people. Places!

Reviews

[John Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 in some ways. Hays Blinckmann gets better every book she writes. "Here Kitty" has lots of good lessons tucked in among all the crazy, funny stuff and people, and that's what makes this comedy of laughs worth reading. And maybe the best thing of all? The laughs Blinkmann gives us are of the kind that used to exist before gross personal attacks became the only way to "amuse" the audience. And truth be told, most of you will find yourself somewhere in this story, back in the day when..oh well, get "Here Kitty," open it up, and enjoy!