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A review by thebobsphere
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
4.0
When I finished Pajtim Statovci’s My Cat Yugoslavia , translated by David Hackston, yesterday (June 3rd) afternoon. I just had to wait and let everything settle. A good chunk of the book is dominated by two rather unwieldy metaphors and I needed to think about them. Now after 24 hours I think I can write something decent.
The book is divided into two narratives. One takes place in Kosovo and details Emine’s marriage to the handsome Bajram. Unfortunately the marriage does not work out and amid domestic violence and the looming war, Emine and Bajram decide to move to Finland.
The second narrative concerns the couple’s youngest son Bekim, who grows up in Finland, where he hooks up with gay men. Due to his failure with relationships, Bekim decides to buy a constrictor, to which gravitates towards. One day he comes across a life sized cat in a gay bar and they hook up, with the cat living with him, although this relationship turns into a dominant/submissive one.
I saw both the snake and the cat as metaphors for Bekim’s inner struggles. As a child of immigrants, he finds it difficult to blend into Finnish society but this outsider quality is also prominent during his visits to Kosovo. All Bekim’s problems with being accepted are encapsulated with the cat. This animal represents contrariness, rebellion and hatred, all which Bekim suffers from. At one point in the book, Bekim’s parents send him to a psychologist and we find out that he has a fear of both snakes and cats. This could mean that the cat represents fear of facing reality.
The snake, although one of Bekim’s fears, seems to represent his dealings with humans. Since Bekim has problems bonding with humans, the snake befriends him and they have a relationship where he lets the snake suffocate him gently. Later on in the book and in the opening we see how he handles his boyfriends/one night stands.
To confuse matters, there’s one scene where Bekim returns to Kosovo and befriends a cat and kills a snake so maybe the whole of his narrative was a story just to emphasise his situation as a child of immigrants? It’s not that clear.
The Emine/Bajram narrative is easier as it is in chronological order and tells things in a clear way. Through Emine the reader understands how male-centric Kosovar traditions are and Ermine’s struggles are because she has to be submissive but does not want to be. Eventually when the family move to Finland, because of the Kosovan war. Bajram understands that society is different and cannot cope. Emine does break free and survives. Other than a commentary on sexism, i would also say that the Emine narrative is a snapshot of how immigrants are treated.
Despite the not so clear parts, I enjoyed My Cat Yugoslavia thoroughly: The Bekim narrative is great and example of how magical realism can be weird without being a distraction to the book. The Emine narrative is addictive as it an interesting look at rites. I have never read any literature about Kosovo (although I remember the war clearly as I was 20 at the time and it was big news) but My Cat.. was quite an eye opener, coincidentally I’ll be reading Adam Mars Jones’ Batlava Lake so I’m curious to see which aspect of Kosovan culture Mars Jones will focus upon.
The book is divided into two narratives. One takes place in Kosovo and details Emine’s marriage to the handsome Bajram. Unfortunately the marriage does not work out and amid domestic violence and the looming war, Emine and Bajram decide to move to Finland.
The second narrative concerns the couple’s youngest son Bekim, who grows up in Finland, where he hooks up with gay men. Due to his failure with relationships, Bekim decides to buy a constrictor, to which gravitates towards. One day he comes across a life sized cat in a gay bar and they hook up, with the cat living with him, although this relationship turns into a dominant/submissive one.
I saw both the snake and the cat as metaphors for Bekim’s inner struggles. As a child of immigrants, he finds it difficult to blend into Finnish society but this outsider quality is also prominent during his visits to Kosovo. All Bekim’s problems with being accepted are encapsulated with the cat. This animal represents contrariness, rebellion and hatred, all which Bekim suffers from. At one point in the book, Bekim’s parents send him to a psychologist and we find out that he has a fear of both snakes and cats. This could mean that the cat represents fear of facing reality.
The snake, although one of Bekim’s fears, seems to represent his dealings with humans. Since Bekim has problems bonding with humans, the snake befriends him and they have a relationship where he lets the snake suffocate him gently. Later on in the book and in the opening we see how he handles his boyfriends/one night stands.
To confuse matters, there’s one scene where Bekim returns to Kosovo and befriends a cat and kills a snake so maybe the whole of his narrative was a story just to emphasise his situation as a child of immigrants? It’s not that clear.
The Emine/Bajram narrative is easier as it is in chronological order and tells things in a clear way. Through Emine the reader understands how male-centric Kosovar traditions are and Ermine’s struggles are because she has to be submissive but does not want to be. Eventually when the family move to Finland, because of the Kosovan war. Bajram understands that society is different and cannot cope. Emine does break free and survives. Other than a commentary on sexism, i would also say that the Emine narrative is a snapshot of how immigrants are treated.
Despite the not so clear parts, I enjoyed My Cat Yugoslavia thoroughly: The Bekim narrative is great and example of how magical realism can be weird without being a distraction to the book. The Emine narrative is addictive as it an interesting look at rites. I have never read any literature about Kosovo (although I remember the war clearly as I was 20 at the time and it was big news) but My Cat.. was quite an eye opener, coincidentally I’ll be reading Adam Mars Jones’ Batlava Lake so I’m curious to see which aspect of Kosovan culture Mars Jones will focus upon.