“Call me… call me whatever you like. I’ve had many names over the years. Did you think I was going to say Ishmael? Or actually tell you my real name? Not today. Maybe not tomorrow, either. I bet you’re wondering how a cat knows about Moby-Dick. Especially the tortoiseshell cat sealed in the box in this lab.”
And so opens Tomás Q. Morín’s Cat Love (Pantheon Books 2026), a slim dystopian elegy narrated by a cat imprisoned in a Schrodinger’s box. The cat was catnapped, victim to the black market of felines, to be part of the “Emotional Statistics” course, which prepares students to be Emotional Support Humans; it’s now illegal to force animals into those supporting roles, and it’s a viable career option for humans – especially if they’re small enough to fit under an airplane seat.
The novel centers around the cat and her memories, which is where the novel is rather beautiful. Especially when looking at the cat’s connections to others, including the man she calls “Mustache.” The animal human bond is a pretty special one, and I think Morín captures it in a unique way.
There’s an interesting part dealing with the spirit of a child that was not born that seems odd but somehow works. And for a small novel, this hits on a lot of things, including the prison system and the education system. But, pun intended, the claws aren’t out and it barely scratches the surface. So while I enjoyed this weird little book and it made me miss Kitteh Puss, it’s not as purrfect as it could have been.
A Girl Named Tommi 