Author: Joyce Carol Oates
I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Amy Landon, the audio is 2.5 hours long. A 14-year old girl is confused by puberty, her parents divorce and remarriages and just all the changes flying at her all at once. She becomes obsessed with a feral cat colony near her house and adopts a fluffy white orphaned kitten. Named Miao Dao, the cat becomes the girl's best friend...even after it disappears. She learns from the cat....hunting, hiding and fighting skills. Very useful for a girl dealing with some very adult problems....
I found this story just a bit over-the-top -- lots of man hating. There isn't a single normal or likable male character in this story. While it is told from a teenage girl's perspective, I just found it to be a bit too much. She hates all men -- her father, her brothers, her stepfather, kids at school... While the behavior of most of the men in the story is horrific.....there are no redeeming male characters in this story. No friends. No neighbors. It gives a strangely warped "all men are bad'' vision of growing up. The cat was an interesting concept, but really seemed an afterthought. The cat portion of the story just seemed to hang in limbo and was never really fully developed or resolved. The main theme of this story seemed to be that men are all sexual perverts who treat women like crap. Just not really a story I enjoyed..... I get the author's point...and her intention. And, I have read Joyce Carol Oates writing before. I just expected more from her -- a better developed story and less obvious "I hate all things with a penis'' mentality.
The story is well-written, and I did enjoy listening to it. Just not really a tale for me..... Middle of the road rating for this one. Not all bad....but not great.
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