by James Bowen
First published 2014
James sits with Bob on the streets of London, watching crowds gather around them as his ginger cat performs tricks. More than ten years of homelessness and drug addiction nearly destroyed James, but Bob changed everything. Now James has steady ground beneath his feet, though he still stumbles as he builds a new life. Bob stays close, offering daily lessons in courage and wisdom that no human teacher could provide. When illness strikes or danger threatens, the cat becomes James's protector. During moments of doubt, Bob shows him what loyalty means. The tricks James taught his feline companion pale beside what Bob has taught him about trust, friendship, and finding joy in small moments. Together they perform for admirers who stop to watch them, but the real show happens in the quiet spaces between, where a man learns from his cat that happiness lives in the bond they share.
Genres: animals, contemporary, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: London
Period: 21st-century
305 pages · Kindle Edition · Thomas Dunne Books
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use