Catalyst

Bob Harvey

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

A recent transplant to Texas steps from charred ruins to become the reluctant hero in a place about to change forever. Experience the joy of pet cohabitation and the wonder of animal sense perception as a miraculous stray cat named You Too and his human companions' battle to develop the first, eco-Homestead, where no people are allowed without pets.

Review by Paul Lappen (120507) Rating (8/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
Rating 8/10
Set among the mega-population growth of present-day Texas, this novel is about a group of ordinary people who are thrown together under extraordinary circumstances when their townhouse complex is severely damaged in a fire.

Javier is an ex-boxer who now works in construction, and his wife, Caressa, is recovering from a stroke. Dakota is a lady professor of archaeology, and Justin is a recent transplant from Philadelphia. He seems to have been accepted by a unique cat that Justin named You Too. The cat is already famous, leading rescuers to Geri, a deaf former Army nurse, the night of the fire. He also senses Caressa's physical infirmities, because You Too thinks nothing of jumping on her lap, working himself under her damaged hand, and repeatedly moving it, like she was in physical therapy.

The group comes up with a plan to buy the land on which their townhouses sat, and build an eco-friendly co-housing complex. As much as possible, it would be made of recycled materials, and include a Native American longhouse. One of the major requirements for new tenants is not that pets are accepted, or even welcomed, but that pets are required to move in. Their opponent, construction tycoon Baron Barkley, and his adult son, Kyle Ray, are not about to give up without a fight.

Justin and company suffer a series of "mishaps" that threaten to destroy their good works. Dakota receives an envelope of adult photos of her, taken secretly by Kyle Ray, photos that are guaranteed to be misinterpreted. She decides that a one-year sabbatical in China is suddenly a good idea. Javier is jailed on a trumped-up assault charge. He beat up a couple of kids that broke into the construction site with vandalism in mind. More than once, Justin follows Kyle Ray, intending to do him great bodily harm.

The other notable thing about the book is the book itself. Printed on thick glossy paper, each chapter has a different coloured background or photo. On each page, various words are printed in a different font or colour. To slow a slide in reading among the young, the intention is to make this book more like a graphic novel. That is a very worthy objective, but for the rest of us, this is either a bold move in the publishing field or an unnecessary distraction.

This story about the power of animals takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's pretty good. It will get the reader looking at their pet dog or cat in a whole new light.
Paul Lappen (12th May 2007)