Kitten

'Strange, playful and intimate . . . I didn't want it to end' LUCY ROSE, author of The Lamb '[A] brilliant study of need, want, loneliness, and power . . . soft and sharp, totally in control, utterly deranged. I lapped it up' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of Almost Life 'Hilarious and moving' JEAN KYOUNG FRAZIER, author of Pizza Girl A magnetic novel about a young woman who falls in love with her boyfriend's cat. Katie hasn't spoken to her mother in a year when her boyfriend James introduces her to his cat Silver. A small, vulnerable, incorrigible ball of need, Silver's acceptance of Katie cracks open something inside of her: an unravelling begins. Fresh out of college and far from home, Katie is desperate to skirt the demands of adult life - especially because, as she promised her mother, the plan was to never grow up in the first place. Luckily, she has James: self-assured, generous, and seemingly happy to make decisions for them both. When they go on holiday to James's family's seaside home, Katie's attachment to Silver grows. Silver doesn't mind that Katie can't seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to misbehave spectacularly, be childish, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. But as their bond intensifies, Katie's other relationships reach tipping points. Soon, Katie must come to terms with what she really wants, and what she might have to risk to get it. Delicately playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, Kitten is a sensitive reckoning with the allure of helplessness and the uncertainty of becoming yourself in a world that is as disorienting as it is full of hope and connection.

'Strange, playful and intimate . . . I didn't want it to end' LUCY ROSE, author of The Lamb '[A] brilliant study of need, want, loneliness, and power . . . soft and sharp, totally in control, utterly deranged. I lapped it up' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of Almost Life 'Hilarious and moving' JEAN KYOUNG FRAZIER, author of Pizza Girl A magnetic novel about a young woman who falls in love with her boyfriend's cat. Katie hasn't spoken to her mother in a year when her boyfriend James introduces her to his cat Silver. A small, vulnerable, incorrigible ball of need, Silver's acceptance of Katie cracks open something inside of her: an unravelling begins. Fresh out of college and far from home, Katie is desperate to skirt the demands of adult life - especially because, as she promised her mother, the plan was to never grow up in the first place. Luckily, she has James: self-assured, generous, and seemingly happy to make decisions for them both. When they go on holiday to James's family's seaside home, Katie's attachment to Silver grows. Silver doesn't mind that Katie can't seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to misbehave spectacularly, be childish, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. But as their bond intensifies, Katie's other relationships reach tipping points. Soon, Katie must come to terms with what she really wants, and what she might have to risk to get it. Delicately playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, Kitten is a sensitive reckoning with the allure of helplessness and the uncertainty of becoming yourself in a world that is as disorienting as it is full of hope and connection.

An enchanting debut novel about a young woman whose growing obsession with her boyfriend's cat opens new possibilities for her life--but not without threatening to unravel it. "Abound in wit and restraint, Kitten explores the funny yet unsettling complexities of modern love. . . . A fearless debut!" --Weike Wang, author of Chemistry "Yu's novel is both a kind of Gen Z parable of existential nihilism and a psychologically deft portrait of mother-daughter trauma. . . this spiky debut refuses to be boxed in"-- Kirkus Reviews A HARPER'S BAZAAR MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK Katie is far from home, fresh out of college, and desperate to skirt the demands of adult life. It doesn't help that she's no longer speaking to her mother. Or that she owes her roommate and closest friend months of rent money. Luckily, her self-assured, generous boyfriend James seems happy to make decisions for them both. When James takes Katie on vacation to his family's seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy connection. Silver doesn't mind that Katie can't seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, act cute, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they're inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open . . . or maybe just crack. Because if Katie has learned anything from her mother, it's that devotion comes at a price. As Katie's affection for Silver deepens, her other relationships begin to falter, until she's forced to confront what she really desires from life--and what she might have to risk to get it. Darkly playful, wryly observant, and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from an irresistible new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in an age that is as disorienting and lonely as it is full of hope and promise.

An enchanting debut novel about a young woman whose growing obsession with her boyfriend's cat opens new possibilities for her life--but not without threatening to unravel it. "Abound in wit and restraint, Kitten explores the funny yet unsettling complexities of modern love. . . . A fearless debut!" --Weike Wang, author of Chemistry "Yu's novel is both a kind of Gen Z parable of existential nihilism and a psychologically deft portrait of mother-daughter trauma. . . this spiky debut refuses to be boxed in"-- Kirkus Reviews A HARPER'S BAZAAR MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK Katie is far from home, fresh out of college, and desperate to skirt the demands of adult life. It doesn't help that she's no longer speaking to her mother. Or that she owes her roommate and closest friend months of rent money. Luckily, her self-assured, generous boyfriend James seems happy to make decisions for them both. When James takes Katie on vacation to his family's seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy connection. Silver doesn't mind that Katie can't seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, act cute, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they're inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open . . . or maybe just crack. Because if Katie has learned anything from her mother, it's that devotion comes at a price. As Katie's affection for Silver deepens, her other relationships begin to falter, until she's forced to confront what she really desires from life--and what she might have to risk to get it. Darkly playful, wryly observant, and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from an irresistible new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in an age that is as disorienting and lonely as it is full of hope and promise.