Cat Out of Hell - Roger that!

TITLE: Cat Out of Hell
AUTHOR: Lynne Truss
PUBLISHER: Melville House
PUBLISHING DATE: March 3, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he’s lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him.           

It takes a while for Alec to realize he’s not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking to Wiggy . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they’re smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! What’s more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does – Roger’s older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he’s seen it all.

And he’s got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec’s wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces?

In the deft and comedic hands of mega-bestseller Lynne Truss, the story is as entertaining as it is addictive” (The Sunday Telegraph) – an increasingly suspenseful and often hysterically funny adventure that will please cat lovers and haters alike. And afterwards, as one critic noted, “You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again”

MY THOUGHTS: This book is extremely unique and I still am not sure quite what I think about it. The novel is told in stories and emails from a core group of people who have encountered Roger, a talking cat. As a young kitten, Roger was taken in by an older, much larger cat, Captain, who put him through the "Nine Lives" ordeal which made him immortal and also provided him with the means to talk. Roger lives through many years and encounters many people, most who are killed when they "no longer have the will to live."

This entire book is basically a commentary on cats and all their stereotypes. The author describes many of their characteristics as misplaced evilness and throughout the book, you wonder who will die next. Captain and Roger are portrayed as very manipulative and cunning, which I am sure is how we all think of cats. In one part of the book, Truss states that cats hunt birds and mice because they have lost the power to kill larger animals/humans as they have done in the past. She states that purring is a hypnotic technique cats used for many years to put their victims in a trance so they are more easily killed. Also, cats kneed your legs not in an attempt to get comfortable, but as practice to slash your femoral artery.

This book is eerie, and creepy, but not really scary. Unless you own an evil cat, and then I suggest you read it while looking over your shoulder. The novel is short, but enjoyable and I found it to be an interesting read. I did fly through it because I wanted to see what happened in the end. Anyone who likes horror or is in the mood for something out of the ordinary should give it a go!

RATING: 4 PAWS

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT CHALLENGE # 56 - Read a book with a traditionally evil character as a main character.  (Roger and Captain, the main "characters" are murderous evil cats and Beelzebub also makes an appearance as dictator and leader of evil cats throughout the ages).

BOOKER T's THOUGHTS:  CATS...where??? Must chase cats!  Cats are dumb - I don't care if Roger and Captain can talk.  They get a 1 Paw rating from me - that's 1 paw up against their head!

PS- Why won't Mom let me chase cats?  All I ever hear is "They'll put your eye out."  Is this The Christmas Story or what!