Of Cats and Men

Of Cats and Men © 2002 Nina de Gramont ISBN: 0385335032 Delta pb (Random House) Short stories. Contemporary. Excellent emotional and environmental detail. Characters in each story vary enough that you don't feel like you're reading a disjointed novel. Well crafted past tense, present tense, first person, and third. The settings also vary, from mountains to the east coast and points in between. Most impressive is the spare yet insightful blend of emotions and physical description. A back-cover review from Mademoiselle states: “The author weaves cats into each story so deftly that they function as both poetic figures and complex characters.” A book you don't want to end. Stories that will stay with you. In criticism, I often found the abundance of irregular sentences distracting, but this seems to be a coming writing style. More on that later. This is De Gramont's debut collection of short fiction. I found another of her stories, "A Bee Charmer’s Heart," at Exquisite Corpse I hope to see more de Gramont stories soon.