Review of The Ships Cat

In advance, I love cats, and I love travel stories, so on the surface of it, this book should have been everything I was after.  This is the story of Archie, the streetwise east end cat who finds himself in distant lands through no fault of his own, looking to find a way to get home.

Archie’s a cockney, there’s no two ways about that, but one who’s got the memories of a human at least in their forties, as they make reference to the Krays and the old ways of the east end, all of which are accurate (I grew up in that area at that time as well), which is all well and good, but seems somehow anachronistic for a cat, even one of advanced years.  I’d considered if the story had been told from the perspective of a different time, but too many references to the internet and other phenomena that just weren’t around in the late 90’s, and in the end, the dates make it clear that it was told from a present day perspective.

Archie doesn’t start out as the most likeable creature, very much from the old school of making do for themselves and braving it out on the streets, but that only lasts a short while, as the world is a vast place and he recognises that he can’t make his way home by himself.

And so, we start the journey.

There’s a lot of parallels between this book and the film Flow, telling of a bold little mog trying to find a place of safety with only their wits to keep them alive, and like that story, it’s impossible not to root for a hapless little beast that only wants a place they can belong.  There aren’t direct threats, but the world is dangerous enough when you’ve got additional toes, but not opposable ones.

I liked this in a lot of ways, the opening scenes don’t make for a particularly sympathetic character, being the worst elements of overconfident Londonites, but that is quickly remedied and as much as some elements of it show through in later chapters, he quickly becomes a more well rounded character, although I’m not sure that cats would have a preference between Fosters and a good stout.  I think its that part of it that kept pulling me out of the story, I loved the bits where Archie was out doing cat things and being clever, but the parts where he sounded more like a human in nature and comparison kept drawing me out of the story.

It's an enjoyable tale, if you like Cats and Travel Stories, it’s far less harrowing than Flow and has a good ending, and for those reasons, I’d recommend it.

Thanks to Bonnier Books and the Author for the Free ARC, my views are my own, no incentive offered or accepted.