Cat Lover

by Dan Spencer

‘Delicious layers of irony… Comedy, jeopardy and sadness in abundance.’
Anthony Cummins, Daily Mail

‘It's clear that Spencer is a poet. The use of rhyme, rhythm and onomatopoeia permeates this story and it really affected the way I experienced the book ... This is a unique debut which made me think of authors such as Max Porter and Rainer Maria Rilke. I’m excited to see what’s next for Spencer, for this certainly is a triumph.’
Helen Daniels, The Debut Digest

‘This is a thought-provoking and sensitive book about moving forwards … tackles important themes around living well.'
Francesca Brown, Stylist

‘An intriguing and enjoyable read, great for all those with a feline friend.’
Dubray Books, Dubray Recommends

‘Clever and unputdowable, it left me thinking about it long after I’d finished. Cat Lover is hugely entertaining and provocative; it’s a thing of beauty.’
Brian Conaghan, author of Treacle Town

‘Acutely observed and brimming with wit and pathos, Dan Spencer’s prose is startling, vivid, and alive.’
Iain Maloney, author of In the Shadow of Piper Alpha



You invited him in. Now the claws come out.

When solitary and struggling A&E doctor Ivy invites the Geologist home one night, her cat Berry’s hackles are raised. As the Geologist becomes more and more a part of Berry’s life, Berry determines to get rid of him. Meanwhile, as Ivy wrestles with her feelings for boyfriends old and new, she’s entirely unaware of her cat’s designs . . .

Shifting between the perspectives of Ivy and Berry, we watch them tussle over who they are, how they got there and what they desire.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Animals

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2024

Reviews

[lysareading]

Not fair for me to give this book the lowest rating, as I didn't enjoy the writing style of the author. It's like short sentences with a rhythmic prose style, hence, I couldn't feel the interaction of the characters. If you want to see the writing, I will put it on my Bookstagram later (IG: @lysareading).

Although it was not my cup of tea, I'm going to share why I chose this book.

1) Title. I'm a woman who lives with two cats. Obviously, the title already pulled me in.

2) Based on the blurb + my halfway reading.

- We get shifting points of view from Ivy (the owner) and Berry (the cat).

- I could sense jealousy from a cat when the owner got a new boyfriend, (?) so that's why I'm eager to know how Berry is going to get rid of that guy.

- Ivy's character kind of intrigued me as she was wrestling with her own feelings about starting a new relationship due to the fact that she's still grieving the loss of someone from her past.

There you go; sounds like this book could be my cup of tea, but sadly, it feels like matcha. *Sorry, matcha lover :') Who knows? I might try it again one day.

[Stella May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Stream of consciousness style for a whole book was a little hard to read but unique.

[watermelonreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at p. 140

not a fan of the writing style

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. I out loud to an empty room on several occasions said 'My God, this is awful'
Why are the sentences so short?? Why do the cat and the protagonist speak with the same voice? Why for the love of God is the sister called 'Clover Dover'?
It was just a stream on consciousness with an unnecessary amount of punctuation. Honestly. Awful

[Jennifer French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the idea of this book but I found it hard to follow, it lost me and it was a bit boring

[Donna Wenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how accurate the cat and its actions were portrayed bring a cat owner myself. There were parts that I just didn’t get though! Tried to find out more online but little available.

[Ylva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adorable cover and a description that sounded fun. The reality was something…entirely different. I guess it is a nice story, in a way, about love and grief and loneliness, but it’s definitely not what I signed up for - sometimes you have to wonder whether the person who writes the cover description has actually read the book - and the writing style is at best poetic, at worst deeply annoying.

[Lynn Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in the book shop because of the cover and then the premise, which I think turned out to not really be the premise...

The writing style was weird, with so many short, one word sentences. I thought that was maybe just the style of the cat’s voice which I enjoyed - I thought the cat was written perfectly. But it turned out that was how the author wrote everyone’s voice which made the whole book feel a bit stressful. In saying that, the writing style didn’t bother me when I got used to it.

I liked the cat. I didn’t mind the geologist. I was indifferent to Ivy. I disliked most other characters in the book.

The story was uncomfortable. It’s a book about grief essentially (I think - I’m still processing) and some of it is quite difficult.

I finished it tonight and I gave it 2.25 stars for now but I actually can’t decide whether I liked it or not.

[Georgina Sweasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange, a bit confusing and altogether lovely. I've seen people say that it was bad writing because of the 'stream of consciousness' style but I think that suited the premise of the book. At times it was a bit hard to follow because of that style but it got me engaged (trying to understand the words, not just see them).

It made me think of my cats and how I talk to them - how are we so sure they don't understand us, and just choose not to listen? Silly creatures.

I picked it up thinking it would be a fun, low-commitment book to get me back into reading, but it made me think and feel (especially at the end!).

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected it to be and that's actually a good thing! As many others have said the short sentences are a bit of a hurdle but as I continued through the book lots of interesting questions came up, not least the realisation that Berry might not just be a cat... and is that Ivy's grief creating him as more or some paranormal/mystical power? (Many reviews have said they can't get around why the cat and Ivy speak with the same voice... there is a good reason for that!) I thought it was subtle but gave enough to make your own conclusions! Very interesting and thought provoking around grief, love, judgement and the paranormal. It's a shame to see so many low stars!

[James Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, engages from the start. I read the first 100 pages in a single sitting.

This is a story with deep, intelligent themes of love, denial and grief behind the seemingly simple premise. The three-handed narrative is well-executed and consistent. The short, rhythmic prose style is hypnotic. At times also wryly funny. The cat is more than he seems, or perhaps less? He exists in a long tradition of faux-naive, unreliable animal narrators - and I loved it.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quirky novel. The writing is very poetic, lots of imagery and interesting perspectives.
I enjoyed the characters (obviously the cat was my favourite) but lots of backstory made it an interesting read. My wife and I have decided that unless a book gets 5 stars it doesn't go on the madly full bookshelves so this, at a 4, goes to the charity shop. But I hope you like it if you pick it up from there!

[Abigayle Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I really struggled to read this book. The sentences felt really choppy and I was unclear as to what was going on throughout most of the book. It's unclear as to whether or not the cat is just a cat or more and the part with Grants brother felt very random.

I think if the writing style is more up your street (short choppy sentances) then it could be a clearer more interesting read but personally it left me feeling lost and not entirely sure what I had just finished reading.

[Florien (flofairytales) · Rating 1 out of 5]

One ot those: the trailer was better than the movie....only in this case "the cover, title and summary" all sounded better than the story.

l didn't think it was possible for a book to give me a headache, but this one did.

l hate to say it, but l want to be honest...it was the writing style. The teacher in me wanted to give the author an F, it was such a struggle.
l hate that because it all sounded so promising

[Róisín Hyland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of this book but the writing style just really wasn’t for me!
So many short sentences and SO many full stops it was all a bit distracting and I don’t feel like I could fully get into the story or connect with the characters.
An interesting reflection on grief and love but it just fell flat for me.

[Sara Grainger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I’m a cat. A cat wouldn’t know that.
The premise is childish but don’t be put off. This is a very grown up, beautifully written and emotional book about grief.
All the feels, as I believe the kids say.

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like the writing style of this novel. I felt as though there were too many short sentences, the prose did not flow and it just made me annoyed! I also think there was a lack of character depth created for the protagonists... I did like the prose written from the cats POV, it felt more realistic for an animal

[Andrea Hulme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this I really enjoyed. I really liked the thoughts of the cat that ran throughout the book. Some bits were really quite funny. There was a lot of humour in this, some sadness. I quite liked the style of writing too.

I wasn't sure I was drawn to some of the characters.

Generally a good, quick read.

[Rachel Louise]

Ivy clearly does not understand cats at all and just keeps calling poor Berry weird for very common things that cats are known to do.

Ended up dnfing after 50 pages just because I kept getting annoyed with Ivys attitude.

[Bumblesaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cat is the only one I respect out of everyone in this book.

[Bethany Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the concept, wasn't a fan of the execution. It kept throwing me that both Berry and Ivy talked and thought in exactly the same way and tone, even though one is human, one is a cat.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising, thought provoking. Feels like it's told from underwater and I have to strain to find the story. A bit brilliant.

[Norhayati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts are entertaining, some are confusing., some part is sad. Generally still okay to read.

[Wenfei · Rating 1 out of 5]

*1.5

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed and struggled with this book. In the end I liked the style it was written in even though I didn’t like the main character.

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel that feels entirely like a poem of love and grief

[Aasta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique and tender. But there was a scene I found a bit disturbing, which is why I’ll give it four stars instead of five.