{"product_id":"kitten-a-debut-novel-about-mothers-class-love-and-the-dizzying-task-of-becoming-yourself-9781399754316","title":"Kitten: A debut novel about mothers, class, love, and the dizzying task of becoming yourself","description":"\u003cp\u003eA playful, heartfelt debut novel -- a coming-of-age story for modern times, for fans of Mona Awad, Ling Ma, and Elif Batuman.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Strange, playful and intimate . . . I didn't want it to end'\u003c\/b\u003e LUCY ROSE, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lamb\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[A] brilliant study of need, want, loneliness, and power . . . soft and sharp, totally in control, utterly deranged. I lapped it up' \u003c\/b\u003eKIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of \u003ci\u003eAlmost Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Hilarious and moving' \u003c\/b\u003eJEAN KYOUNG FRAZIER, author of \u003ci\u003ePizza Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA magnetic novel about a young woman who falls in love with her boyfriend's cat.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKatie 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFresh 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.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen 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.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDelicately playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, \u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eis 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.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781399754316\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 28 Jul 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Hardie Grant Children's Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.2(H)x15.2(L)x2.6(W)380\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 380\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eStacey Yu \u003c\/b\u003egrew up in California and lives in London. She studied English literature at Columbia University. \u003ci\u003eKitten\u003c\/i\u003e is her debut novel.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003ecaptures the vulnerability of early adulthood with startling precision. \u003cb\u003eAbound in wit and restraint, the novel explores the funny yet unsettling complexities of modern love\u003c\/b\u003e.  What does it mean to be looked after versus seen?  Are love and safety one and the same?\u003cb\u003e A fearless debut!\u003c\/b\u003e -- Weike Wang, author of \u003ci\u003eChemistry\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStacey Yu's \u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eis as tender and brutal as a kiss to the most wounded part of yourself. \u003cb\u003eYu perfectly captures how it feels to be young and terrified of yourself\u003c\/b\u003e. To call a novel this fierce \u003ci\u003eKitten\u003c\/i\u003e . . . Yu's eye for friction and chaos should be studied -- Ruth Madievsky, author of \u003ci\u003eAll Night Pharmacy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithin the first few lines of Stacey Yu's \u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eso much is revealed with such tact and precision, and it's a telling sign for the rest of the novel. A novel so astute and honest while its main character struggles to be, a novel that examines the truths and complexities of love and living in a way that forces its reader to reevaluate their approaches to life, and perhaps every experience with another person they've ever had. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eis a spellbinding story written by a wildly intelligent author \u003c\/b\u003ewhose observations and understanding of our relationships both with others and ourselves is \u003cb\u003ea marvel to read\u003c\/b\u003e. The moment you've finished this book, it will play on your mind for days -- Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Three of US\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven the most loyal dog person will read Stacey Yu's \u003cb\u003eweird, wry, and surprisingly tender \u003c\/b\u003edebut \u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eand be charmed.  A \u003cb\u003ehilarious and moving\u003c\/b\u003e novel about your twenties, about stumbling into adulthood, and the pleasure and pain of realizing you can be and do whatever you want -- Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of \u003ci\u003ePizza Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKitten \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ea playful, subtle and brilliant study of need, want, loneliness, and power\u003c\/b\u003e. It bats around scalding insights about mothers and daughters, wealth, the gig economy, and how relationships are always transactional, one way or another. But it does this without cynicism or undercutting the tenderness at its heart. \u003cb\u003eIt's soft and sharp, totally in control, utterly deranged. I lapped it up\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of \u003ci\u003eAlmost Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStacey Yu's prose is as precise and honed as a cat's claw, splitting open the skin of the early adolescent experience. \u003cb\u003eAn endearing meditation that will resonate with anyone who has been young, lost, and stagnant,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eKitten\u003c\/i\u003e will leave you aching with its insights on the weight of childhood and the possibility of adulthood -- Alice Evelyn Yang, author of \u003ci\u003eA Beast Slinks Towards Beijing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI was \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ecompletely unable to resist reading it in one sitting\u003c\/b\u003e. Exquisitely constructed and unexpected . . . Stacey Yu is unique -- Jennifer Croft, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Extinction of Irena Rey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe\u003cb\u003e beautifully written \u003c\/b\u003enarrative clips along and is \u003cb\u003ethought-provoking on loneliness and feeling out of step with the world\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *","brand":"Stacey Yu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49041642815705,"sku":"9781399754316","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781399754316.jpg?v=1785937075","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/kitten-a-debut-novel-about-mothers-class-love-and-the-dizzying-task-of-becoming-yourself-9781399754316","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}