The Cat Who Ate His Tail


Fiction - Womens
236 Pages
Reviewed on 11/05/2019
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

The Cat Who Ate His Tail by Jacqueline Simon Gunn is a heartwarming and unusual story of love that will thrill cat lovers. Sneakers is a cat, a big one, “think tiger cubbish." He has had his fair share of suffering and has known the worse form of loneliness. His memories of abandonment leave him frustrated and utterly unwanted. Abandoned by his former owner, he finds himself - through unusual circumstances - in the home of a human “who studied and listened to other humans,” a psychologist who struggles in her relationship. In this book, the cat shares the woman's anxiety, her fears and how she deals with emotional pain. Sneakers describes the love life of the psychologist and makes stunning observations in a story that eventually leads to love and healing and a twist that is intriguing.

That this story is told by a cat is one of the things that augment the humor and make it a great read. The author gets into the mind of the protagonist, an animal, and explores the levels of pain he experiences. His memories aren't the best and it is interesting how vividly the narrator shares these memories: "The box reminded me of when I was held captive in a cage for many moons as a kitten, which always invited the memories of my early abandonment and the loss of my biological mother. As if that wasn’t enough to exacerbate my anxiety, every time she put me in that box, something bad happened to me." The story evokes a deep sense of pathos and compels the reader to look at the protagonist with sympathy. Jacqueline Simon Gunn's use of anthropomorphism is very deft and it allows the reader to connect with the cat. The Cat Who Ate His Tail is skillfully plotted and written in beautiful prose. Filled with humor, the story is engaging and has the potential to change the way we look and treat animals. A gorgeous treat for fans of cats and domestic animals.

K.C. Finn

The Cat Who Ate His Tail is a work of quirky and intriguing fiction penned by author Jacqueline Simon Gunn. Toying with the tropes of chick lit and women’s fiction, this enigmatic novel about human nature and emotional baggage is told from the perspective of a cat. Sneakers has his abandonment issues from times past, so when he observes his new owner and learns of her damage and how she tries to manage her crazy love life, he begins to understand that he is not alone in his feelings. So when life takes them both on an unexpected twist, important lessons about the bonds of love must be learned.

Written for mature readers due to some language use and themes, this is an unusual but highly successful look at the world of modern dating and the way we deal with our feelings in the face of abandonment and rejection. The voice of Sneakers as the narrator is well-formed and distinct, sprinkled with dry humor and a knowing sort of wit that really sparkles. Fans of women’s fiction will adore this sense of knowing as Sneakers provides the reactions to all those red flags of the dating world that people tend to ignore when they don’t want to be alone. This astute narration carries the novel through the human’s life story, unfolding a familiar and relatable narrative that turns into an inspirational and heart-warming tale. Overall, The Cat Who Ate His Tail will be a truly pleasing read for those who relate to it: a highly recommended novel.

Rabia Tanveer

The Cat Who Ate His Tail by Jacqueline Simon Gunn is the story of a cat as it experiences joy, sadness, anxiety and unconditional love. Sneakers is a cat that is proud of his tiger heritage. He knows that life as a cat is not easy, humans are so complicated and nothing really lasts forever. So when his current human left him in the care of a stranger, Sneakers knew that it was going to be a difficult life. But his new human is gentler than he could ever imagine. She pays attention to Sneakers, gives the best belly rubs, talks gently and seems to really love Sneakers. Sneakers experiences love like he never did before and the new human is the best. Sneakers goes on a journey of a lifetime with the new human, experiences the ups and downs of life along with the human, and finds out that life is beautiful when you have someone to love you just as much as you love them.

I am not going to lie, the ending made me cry; I think I started crying by chapter 33 or 34 because it just hurt so much. Sneakers is such a cool cat; he knew what he wanted, guarded his little heart, but opened it for the right human. I loved how you can feel the love and affection pouring out of every word on each page, how precious this little guy was for his human and what a great life they had. The message of self-acceptance and self-love is loud and clear in this story. The narrative was beautiful, it was perfect and it allowed the reader to get into the story and live everyday life with him. I love Sneakers and I love this novel!