NINTH LIFE

In Anderson’s novel, a cat undertakes a special mission to protect a wellness center.

Cat, or “Amantha,” as humans call her, is a honey-and-marmalade–colored feline. Cat reveals to readers that she has lived eight lives already. Now that she is on her ninth, she “needs to get it right this time, follow the rules, stay in line and make sure everyone else does too.” (She wants to avoid centuries of more earthbound reincarnations.) Her mission situates her at the Serene Lotus Centre for Health and Wellbeing, where she has become the “unofficial guardian and protector.” Cat attempts to follow, and help others follow, the core tenets of the Centre (these include rules like “do no harm” and “support each other”). The Centre’s offerings include yoga, hypnotherapy, and the services of a woman named Freya who specializes in interacting with spirits. While Freya will, if a client is present, pretend that Cat is aiding her in her otherworldly communications, she does not actually use her in such a way—the humans around Cat are largely oblivious to the fact that they have a “spiritually minded” animal on their hands. Cat instead becomes a marketing star when the inherent appeal of cat videos on social media helps to make her a sensation. While the Centre has a hard enough time staying afloat, things become more difficult when allegations of sexual misconduct against Guru Rajpapa arise. (Rajpapa does not work at the Centre, but it is his very specific style of yoga that is taught there.) Both the humans and Cat have plenty on their plates as they work to make the place thrive.        

Of course, it is the furry star of this narrative who steals the show. Cat’s inner thoughts are often open to the reader, as when she considers, “Why do my bones urge me to guard and protect this place and its rules like my life depends on it?” She has her funny moments, too, like when she sweeps her eyes across a crowd “trying to exude wisdom.” The author establishes a multifaceted world in which spirits really commune with gifted types like Freya, the public is keen on following gurus (whether they pitch financial freedom or yoga), and cats can communicate with each other with sophisticated speech. There is a lot of dialogue in the text, and it often comes in heavy and thick: At one point, when someone is asked if they sing, they respond with a rambling, “I used to sing in school musicals as a child, but I lost my confidence, and then, you know, one thing and another. But I’ve been thinking about joining a church choir, not that I go to church, but to meet people and to…yes, I need to sing!” Such verbose, revealing passages help to remind the reader that, despite the offbeat protagonist, this story is populated by characters who face real-life problems. Whether these are issues with hot flashes or the potential loss of their jobs, they make for relatable individuals and an emotionally impactful story.

An unlikely hero leads a pleasantly cute adventure with spiritual depth.