Overview

An acerbic tale of marital warfare and emotional estrangement, in a brilliant new translation In the oppressive silence of the sitting room, the woman finally smoothed out the paper and, without putting on her glasses, read the two words her husband had written- The cat. Amidst the din of their Parisian neighbourhood, mile and Marguerite live in total silence. After a hasty marriage in their sixties, their uneasy peace was shattered when mile's beloved cat mysteriously disappeared and was later found dead. Branding his wife the culprit, mile's retaliation against Marguerite's cherished parrot sparked a silent battle of wills. Now they live parallel lives, communicating only through spiteful notes, mocking glances and mute accusations. As their suspicion and resentment mount, this bitter game of psychological warfare becomes a twisted necessity, binding them together in a relentless cycle of torment from which there can only be one escape. First published in 1967, The Cat is a masterful exploration of marital discord, loneliness and the absurdity of human relationships, painting a vivid portrait of two souls trapped in quiet desperation.

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9780241808030

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Reviews

Simenon's skill is such that he never misses a trick in this brilliant study of old age, of obsession and of a human relationship gone wrong. The novel is done with great economy, and the author's psychological perceptions are sharper than ever. It is a remarkable achievement by a remarkable writer * New York Times * One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian * Irresistible... read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss * Sunday Times * A great writer of detail, of atmosphere. His descriptions of Paris influenced me -- Leïla Slimani * Financial Times * The romans durs are extraordinary: tough, bleak, offhandedly violent, suffused with guilt and bitterness, redolent of place . . . utterly unsentimental, frightening in the pitilessness of their gaze, yet wonderfully entertaining -- John Banville The novels brim with atmosphere, insight and intelligence . . . quite unlike anything else written before or since -- India Knight * The Times *

Simenon's skill is such that he never misses a trick in this brilliant study of old age, of obsession and of a human relationship gone wrong. The novel is done with great economy, and the author's psychological perceptions are sharper than ever. It is a remarkable achievement by a remarkable writer * New York Times * One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian * Exquisite, amazing books... brilliantly executed... a master -- Cillian Murphy Irresistible... read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss * Sunday Times * A great writer of detail, of atmosphere. His descriptions of Paris influenced me -- Leïla Slimani * Financial Times * The romans durs are extraordinary: tough, bleak, offhandedly violent, suffused with guilt and bitterness, redolent of place . . . utterly unsentimental, frightening in the pitilessness of their gaze, yet wonderfully entertaining -- John Banville The novels brim with atmosphere, insight and intelligence . . . quite unlike anything else written before or since -- India Knight * The Times *

A quite wonderful study of how uncompromising humans become in their old age ... This novel has been given the label of “classic” for a reason. The writing is rich, the plot is interesting — Simenon, in his infinite literary wisdom, ticks all the boxes of fine storytelling. But it’s the depth of character that boosts it from good to great ... If you’ve already read Simenon, it’s a reminder of his talent. And if you haven’t, think of The Cat as a gateway drug * The Sunday Times * Penguin continues to do impeccable service to the legacy of the great French crime writer Georges Simenon with The Cat, expertly translated by Ros Schwartz; the latter’s work eclipses every earlier version of this 1967 classic. Émile and Marguerite are a mature Parisian couple who no longer talk, their mutual antipathy exacerbated by the death of Émile’s much loved cat and Marguerite’s parrot. What results is a terrifying battle of wills. No one is better than Simenon at showing how banal domestic conflict can lead to murderous catastrophe, and this is one of his most authoritative non-Maigret romans durs * Financial Times * This grimly fascinating novel is written in a clear, efficient fashion, the better to tell us what led to this peculiar domestic arrangement … It is a tribute of sorts to the capriciousness of humans that people can become accustomed to, or even dependent on, the most bizarre approaches to life. This novel, first published in 1967, illustrates our idiosyncrasies unsparingly -- Declan O'Driscoll * Irish Times * Simenon's skill is such that he never misses a trick in this brilliant study of old age, of obsession and of a human relationship gone wrong. The novel is done with great economy, and the author's psychological perceptions are sharper than ever. It is a remarkable achievement by a remarkable writer * New York Times * One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian * Exquisite, amazing books... brilliantly executed... a master -- Cillian Murphy Irresistible... read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss * Sunday Times * A great writer of detail, of atmosphere. His descriptions of Paris influenced me -- Leïla Slimani * Financial Times * The romans durs are extraordinary: tough, bleak, offhandedly violent, suffused with guilt and bitterness, redolent of place . . . utterly unsentimental, frightening in the pitilessness of their gaze, yet wonderfully entertaining -- John Banville The novels brim with atmosphere, insight and intelligence . . . quite unlike anything else written before or since -- India Knight * The Times *

Author Information

Georges Simenon was born in Li ge, Belgium in 1903. An intrepid traveller with a profound interest in people, Simenon strove on and off the page to understand, rather than to judge, the human condition in all its shades. His novels include the Inspector Maigret series and a richly varied body of wider work united by its evocative power, its economy of means, and its penetrating psychological insight. He is among the most widely read writers in the global canon. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

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