“Joy returned like a downpour of fresh rain, clearing the shooting stars from my head.”

Genre: Fiction
Published: 5th November, 2020
Publisher: Deadinkbooks
Pages: 324
Rate: 2 ⭐⭐
Goodreads Synopsis
One mistake can unravel everything….

She only left her daughter in the car for a minute; just a quick minute whilst she ran into the shop. She barely thought twice about making the decision, but it soon began to consume her every thought. And not just her thoughts, but those of every neighbour, police officer and social security worker in a 15-mile radius. But this is her child. Surely she knows best?

After she’d made the move to a small town in Scotland, the rolling hills and blustery beaches seemed to be the perfect backdrop for her and her four-year-old daughter, Emily, to start again. It wasn’t always easy just the two of them, but Liz was sure that she could manage this time. And now this?

Sometimes, one mistake is all it takes to unravel everything. Cat Step is a lyrically sparse tale about judgement, intergenerational relationships, community, class and the expectations that we place on mothers. With sharp prose Alison Irvine has crafted a compassionate narrative that compels you to listen on.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the book for review but all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

My Take
I struggled with this book. From the blurb I thought its one that I will truly enjoy, but oh how wrong I was.

I found the who book confusing with a plot that’s going round in circles. My biggest issue was when I followed a long a train of thought, it would cut off & something new was introduced. It felt so disjointed I contemplated abandoning the book.

The characters are so un likeable and I think the author meant to write them that way but it was very difficult to feel anything for them, especially the main character.

“Those years sang. They still sing for me.”

The writing is okay and the one thing I liked about the whole book is how she talks about and brings out the topic of community class.

I tried to love this book but I just couldn’t do it.