As a reminder, I am reviewing one book each day until Christmas, in no particular order.
Each choice is special in its own way. All would make great gifts for your cat addicted book lovers. Or your book addicted cat lovers.
Why cat books? Several reasons, really. I adore cats. Cats appear in most of my fiction. And I enjoy promoting cat books for the holidays, because I frequently give or get them as gifts myself. And finally, so many people have a cat, that cat themed gifts are an industry. You can’t go wrong.
Today I am reviewing “Homer’s Odyssey,” by Gwen Cooper.
This book is a meatier choice than my previous picks. Most of the previous books are fun short reads, photography books, or children’s books. For a Christmas gift for the casual cat lover, those are great picks. This is different. It’s a cat biography/human memoir, which is a touching combination. At 299 pages, it is novel length.
The subtitle is, “A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat.” The author, Gwen Cooper, hit the New York Times Bestseller List with this story. It stars Homer, of course. He was blind, and he was a wonder cat.
Cooper acquired Homer at 3 weeks of age from a veterinarian friend. She already had two cats, but Homer needed a home. He had two strikes against him. He was a black cat. They are often under-adopted. He was also blind and euthanasia has not been uncommon for blind cats in the past.
Homer’s story, as told by Cooper, is a big reason that blind and other special needs animals are more likely to get a second chance these days. Homer (much like Oskar the Blind Cat previously reviewed) had no difficulty learning his way around his home or interacting with Cooper’s other cats.
Reading Homer’s story and realizing the truth of a blind cat’s ability to adapt has changed peoples’ opinions about the quality of the lives of special needs animals. There is no need to reflexively euthanize animals like Homer. More blind animals are being saved and finding permanent homes with great quality of life as a result. Cooper has become a strong advocate for these animals.
Homer was extraordinary, and Cooper’s touching story helps us really appreciate him. He was friendly and outgoing with other humans. He was fiercely loyal to Cooper, to the point that when she had a break-in in the middle of the night, it was none other than Homer who attacked the intruder and saved her. That’s pretty amazing for any cat, let alone one who is unable to see his target.
Cooper’s story of Homer is incredible in other ways. She lived in Manhattan, just blocks from the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. When the towers fell, Cooper was unable to return to her apartment and Homer and her other cats were trapped alone for several days. Her retelling of this event has the reader on the edge of their seat. I could only imagine how terrified I’d be if my own cats were in this situation. Waiting for the resolution to find that Homer and her other cats were okay kept me turning the pages. It’s a fascinating tale and a window on a major historic event.
Cooper also relates how Homer helped her personally. When she got him, she was coming out of a broken relationship. Homer showed her how to love and how to live life with joy, so that by the end of the book, she’s found her husband and married him. It’s a wonderful evolution for her, and shows we can all learn life lessons from the animals we love.
This book is one of my favorite memoirs, but it is also the best animal biography I have read to date. It may be because Homer was a cat and I am partial to cats – many animal biographies are about dogs. I think it’s not only a testament to Homer’s uniqueness and spirit, but Cooper’s ability to bring Homer to life for the reader. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I have a *spoiler* on the crying at the end of the review. Read on if you want to know.
If you love full length prose books that focus on an animal, especially a cat, this book is perfect. If the idea of a spunky, blind cat negotiating life with verve and courage catches your imagination, this book is for you. If a memoir of how an animal can change your life is your thing, you absolutely mustn’t miss Homer’s Odyssey.
**** Spoiler****
I know many people shy away from books where the animal main character dies in the end. I can reveal it’s not the case for Homer’s Odyssey – Homer survives to the last page [This is not true for Cooper’s sequel, but no cat lives forever. I recommend that book as well, but that review is for another time]. Homer’s Odyssey still has tearjerker moments, but it’s totally worth it.
