A Feline's Point of View During WWI - an Editorial Review of "The Cats of No Man's Land"
- DK Marley
- 46 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Book Blurb: Coming Soon
Book Buy Link: Coming Soon
Editorial Review:
“Another night’s desperate battles are coming to an end in No Man’s Land. Like the vanishing stars above, the surviving combatants must flee before the rising sun. Most have already retreated underground, returning to their trenches and bunkers. Most, but not all. For indeed not all who fight here are men. Skirting a rain-filled shell crater, a solitary cat continues her hunt. She has the pale coat, dark points, and athletic build of a Siamese—perhaps the most elegant of domestic breeds—but there is nothing domestic in her manner. A tigress in miniature, she stalks the shadows, alone and unafraid. Her iridescent blue eyes seize what remains of the starlight, while her exquisite nose samples the corrupted air, tracking the scent of a hated enemy. Atop a nearby rubble heap, that nemesis awaits: a massive, battle-scarred rat, born and bred in the ashes of war. His head turns as he detects the cat, and the tiny movement gives his position away. But he will not be easy prey. His teeth have drawn feline blood before—and may again tonight.”
“The Cats of No Man’s Land” by Vin Dova is told from a point of view ten-to-thirteen inches off the ground—a feline point of view. The main protagonists inhabit a world of sights and sounds and smells that would seem quite alien to a human being kneeling in the same spot. In much the same way, soldiers in (and above) the trenches in WWI experienced a sensory fantasia that their families back home would have had difficulty recognizing as part of the same Earth.” This is a fascinating premise and certainly a unique point of view for such a setting.
It is World War One – 1917 in Northern France. The book opens not with scenes of age-old human warfare but age-old pursuit of The Rat (note the capitalization, because, if you were a cat, you probably would!) by the Siamese (alas, not capitalized, and anyone who owns is owned by a Siamese would rightly wonder why). The Siamese is out to avenge the loss of other cats, in an obvious and hugely symbolic parallel, given the times. When the Siamese returns to “her human” she reverts from huntress to giving a kitten-like meow, already realizing the shortcomings of the people around her. She cannot communicate with them in words.
It is at this point, still relatively early in the book, that the serious nature of Dova’s writing becomes apparent. What could be merely an amusing tale is given a deeper meaning as the Siamese reflects on the cat/human relationship, and the difficulties of communication. While some readers may consider that Dova has constructed a story based around anthropomorphism, others will see that the author has made a concerted effort to write the story from the cats’ point of view and has remained true to cat behavior – even when they are changing their own behavior to mimic that of humans.
This reviewer will admit to doubts upon commencing reading this book, but these are now well and truly assuaged. Other cats reveal themselves; Alexander, Maurice and Delia, each with their own distinctive cat personalities. The way in which the “cat conflict” is superimposed on the human conflict of World War One is extremely well done. The presence of cats at the Western Front also has a basis in fact, as, according to the Author’s Note, at least 500,000 of them were taken to the Front, in a bid to control rats, and therefore, reduce disease.
“Her only doubt is about leaving Alexander behind. She pauses several times to see if he is following her—and is vaguely disappointed that he isn’t. She is not surprised though. He is too smitten with the Siamese to leave now, that much is clear. Delia will miss him—a little. He is a nice cat. But he has made his choice, and she cannot afford to wait for him. At last, Delia is within sight of the ruined village. The airshaft lies on the northeast side of the ruins—just beyond the dire rat colony. She must proceed carefully, lest she stir up any unwanted attention. Alas, with the present winds, that will mean tracking the long way around and approaching from the south. Reluctantly, Delia picks up her pace—but she still refuses to run.”
The “dialogue” and communication between the cats is another surprising highlight. While at times it verges on (highly entertaining) satire, there remains a deeper message throughout the book and the different situations the cats encounter. The dialogue between the Siamese and her human Captain is intensely moving. Both of them try to say the same thing in different ways, neither of them truly understanding the other, although they think the same.
“Amid all this man-made chaos, three small felines make their way, leaping old trenches, dashing from one spot of cover to the next, splitting up and regrouping as they go. At last, they come to the edge of the ruined village. There they pause atop a crumbling stone wall to survey the challenge ahead. From this vantage point, they can see the devastated church the dire rats have claimed as their own. Though the cats have not dared broach its walls again since their miraculous escape, they have circled the perimeter many times on nocturnal hunts. Along the far side runs a canal, choked with debris. It is crossable, leaping from one stone to the next, or by using a makeshift bridge of timbers the humans have built. To the east, on the northern bank of the canal, the airshaft for the underground tunnel lies hidden in a pile of rubble that used to be a mill.”
The ending of “The Cats of No Man’s Land” is intriguing (but then, it does involve a Siamese, after all!) and does fit with the overall storyline. Definitely one that will keep the reader thinking!
“The Cats of No Man’s Land” by Vin Dova is an unconventional novel with a much deeper meaning than may be first appreciated. While cat lovers will no doubt appreciate the sly and completely accurate “in-jokes” that appear from time to time in the cats’ thoughts and behaviors, all readers will enjoy this highly readable story with appealing characters and times of great emotion. A unique book that is a great tribute to cats themselves, as well as to the human/cat bond that has endured for thousands of years.
*****
“The Cats of No Man’s Land” by Vin Dova receives 4 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To enter the HFC Book of the Year contest and request an editorial review, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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