Cannonball Read 10

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

CBR Facebook Page. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. The CBR Tumblr CBR on Goodreads
  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started
    • FAQ
    • Updates
    • CBR Book Club
    • Fan Mail
    • AlabamaPink’s Book Reviews
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
  • Contact
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Follow Us

If Cats Could Talk …

The Astonishing Thing by Sandi Ward

April 3, 2018 by Jen K Leave a Comment

When CatOnMyHead mentioned that this novel was narrated from the cat’s perspective, I knew I was going to end up reading it sooner or later. Boo, the cat in question, has always thought of the mother of the family has her person while the two teenagers, father and new baby were simply extras, or in the worst cases, competition for Mother’s attention.  As a result, the cat is at a loss when Mother disappears. Since Boo can’t ask, and the humans are not talking to each other about Mother, it takes her a few days to even determine that Mother is not dead, but instead has left, maybe to get rest and finally get better. Boo saw her human dealing with depression after all, barely leaving the bed before the baby came and not getting better after the baby, either.

As the novel progresses, Boo starts to reevaluate the people in her family and her place in the family. While always a staunch defender of Mother, Boo also starts to wonder about her perspective and starts to realize how other humans might have viewed situations. While Boo spends the first part of the novel very much talking about the present, it is only later that Boo shares many of her memories and allows her new perspectives to color those memories.

The novel does not try to take any easy answers, and Boo isn’t the only one lacking vital information at various points of the novel.  Just when Boo (and the reader) starts thinking they understand what is going on, a new detail switches the narratives, turning heroes to villains to victims and back again.  For the most part, there are no obvious good and bad guys, just a family of flawed individuals that deeply care for each other even if they don’t know always how to best help each other.

While this is a rather short review, it is mostly because I don’t want to give too much away, but it is absolutely worth the read. Rather surprising how humanizing a novel from the cat’s point of view could be.

Related

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: cat narrator, family drama, Sandi Ward, The Astonishing Thing

Help Support Cannonball Read

Purchase The Astonishing Thing by Sandi Ward or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

Share the post "If Cats Could Talk …"

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • E-mail
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
4/3/2018 | Jen K's CBR10 Review No:38 |
Rating:
| Tags: cat narrator, family drama, Sandi Ward, The Astonishing Thing | Category: Fiction | 0 Comments

Jen K

World traveler. Cat owner.

Achievements

CBR10 LevelsCBR10 participantCBR 8CBR 7CBR 6CBR 5CBR 3CBR 2

Recent Reviews:

  • Wales Finally Gets Its Due
  • Against Forgetting
  • Wacky Neighbor, Loyal Dog, and Please Make the Potential Love Interest Go Away
  • View all reviews by Jen K»

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *



Search This Site

June Book Club: Kindred by Octavia Butler

Recent Comments

  • KimMiE" on War sucksI read this shortly before I visited Amsterdam because I knew I’d want to visit the house where she wrote the diary. It’s heartbreaking, knowing...
  • Sophia on Lin-Manuel Miranda and I recommend this collectionI like poetry once in a while, but I also find it sometimes challenging. This one sounds like it might be right up my alley....
  • narfna on I didn’t expect to like this so much!Thanks :) I might have to do the audio on re-read then. I do love a good romance audiobook.
  • narfna on I didn’t expect to like this so much!Thank you! She really is!
  • narfna on Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.Thanks!
See More Recent Comments »

Support CBR

Give Today. Cannonball Read donates all profits from the site to the American Cancer Society. Help us fight cancer!
Donate Today »

Review Genres

  • Biography/Memoir
  • Book Club
  • Children's
  • Comedy/Humor
  • Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Graphic Novel/Comic
  • Health
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • News from MsWas
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Religion
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Short Stories
  • Sports
  • Suspense
  • Uncategorized
  • Western
  • Young Adult

Book Ratings


a favorite


a great book


a good book


an ok book


a book
you didn't like

Need Help?

Visit our FAQs to find out how to add stars, select genres, and more. Drop us a line if you can't find your answer.

Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

You too can kolor like Klimt. This purchase helps us in our mission, so get out your krayons!

© 2018 Cannonball Read | Log in