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A review by matmatmatty
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
This is a bit of a strange book, I do need to start with that.
But the stories that it tells are so important.
This covers a wide variety of topics - gender expectations/roles, racism and xenophobia, war and the ways it can change lives, toxic relationships both romantic and familial, and tonnes more. And from the perspective of two different people - a mother and her son.
I loved the character of Emine - there were points where my heart bled for her and I wanted to jump into the story and save her. Her story, from growing up as a young girl with her father, to living alone in Finland and slowly but surely rebuilding her life the way she wants, it is wonderful to see.
Bekim, on the other hand, was very different. Some of his actions confused me (but I imagine there were a few metaphors that went over my head and potentially some context that I'm missing) but overall I could relate to him - as a person of colour who grew up in the UK, I experienced a lot of what he did. I just had the fact I was born here to protect him, which he didn't.
If you are a fan of complex stories, I would absolutely recommend this (but absolutely check out the TW, One scene in particular made me needing to take a break from listening to this.)
But the stories that it tells are so important.
This covers a wide variety of topics - gender expectations/roles, racism and xenophobia, war and the ways it can change lives, toxic relationships both romantic and familial, and tonnes more. And from the perspective of two different people - a mother and her son.
I loved the character of Emine - there were points where my heart bled for her and I wanted to jump into the story and save her. Her story, from growing up as a young girl with her father, to living alone in Finland and slowly but surely rebuilding her life the way she wants, it is wonderful to see.
Bekim, on the other hand, was very different. Some of his actions confused me (but I imagine there were a few metaphors that went over my head and potentially some context that I'm missing) but overall I could relate to him - as a person of colour who grew up in the UK, I experienced a lot of what he did. I just had the fact I was born here to protect him, which he didn't.
If you are a fan of complex stories, I would absolutely recommend this (but absolutely check out the TW, One scene in particular made me needing to take a break from listening to this.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia