A Book Review

A Street Cat Named Bob – a book review by Wendy Newman.

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen is a book that I may not have chosen to read but it was given to me as a Christmas (2012) present.

My first thought was ‘great! A book about a cat.’ I mean, I am a servant to a cat called Alpi and I adore him and would do anything for him but I am not what you might call a cat lover as such. I don’t ‘do’ other peoples cats.

But this book was a best seller and I thought that it had to be good, so I embarked on the reading of it and to be fair, I was hooked from page one.

The story is wonderful and simply written and has great characterisation of the stray that came to stay. I was captivated, having recognised many traits in Bob that I see on a regular basis in Alpi. In several places I laughed out loud, gaining a warm and fuzzy feeling from Bob’s antics; from the haughtiness of not wanting to use an indoor litter tray to waiting by the cupboard door for his breakfast. I could picture in my mind’s eye the goings on of Bob and James and I couldn’t wait to read the next page.

But the underlying story is not just that of a ginger tom but also the struggles faced by Mr Bowen as a recovering drug addict. I’m afraid that I don’t usually have the time or energy for anyone involved in drugs, believing that they alone are responsible for the predicament that they are in, whatever the reason. I, like James, had a troubled childhood and moved around a lot but I have never felt the need to turn to drugs. I have also been on the receiving end of the dishonesty, the emotional drain and vile nature of most people with a habit so I believe my feelings to be justified.

However, James was brutal and honest in his self-assessments and I felt an almost immediate sympathy for the man. The mere fact that he had such an instant rapport with the stray moggy and felt a responsibility towards him leant him a soft and caring side and I felt myself routing for him. It brought tears of anger and frustration to my eyes as James describes the saboteurs as he tries to make an honest living and was angrier still at the narrow minded people on the streets of London who thought it fun to frighten Bob.

All in all, it is a wonderful story which shows the empowerment animals have over us all. Bob proves to be the deciding factor James needed to turn his back once and for all (we hope!) on the crazy life of a drug addict and I wish them both lots of happiness and luck for the future.