From the first page to the last this novel is instantly recognizable as being from the pen of the great Georges Simenon. His Maigret novels continue to be extremely popular but it would be wrong to dismiss any of his standalone works as being less significant. Amongst these lesser known novels lie some of his most original stories. I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with the two central characters - Émile and Marguerite. At times I had plenty of empathy for their quiet desperation, trapped in a marriage that had gone sour early on and now faced with the rigours of old age. But there is also a determined vindictiveness about them both which is less palatable. Only Simenon could make a novel like this work with his astute approach to the fragalities of the human condition. There are glimpses of black humour which lighten the tone at some of the bleakness moments in the plot. A masterful new translation: Brilliant.

Another masterful psychological study of human relationships. The Cat looks at the marriage of an elderly couple who at first glance hate one another however this being Simenon there is far more going on emotionally between the 2 characters. They both have been married before and possibly married out of loneliness driven by grief (for probably all the wrong reasons), however one incident featuring the old man's cat plunges their marriage into absolute emotional darkness and torment. Simenon shows a marriage where although the couple hate each other they cannot function without one another. Only Simenon could write a book like this, the man is a master of what makes people tick, and is a masterly storyteller.

I loved the cover of this book. It’s evocative and sets the scene. I went through a Simenon phase some decades ago and I enjoy his writing. The Cat felt vaguely familiar and I’m sure I read it some 50 years ago. It’s a curious piece; beautifully observed throughout featuring a husband and wife in conflict and confinement. They’re both unpleasant and yet Simenon manages to make them compelling as characters as we watch their spite and mutual hatred grow. It’s a timeless tale, two people trapped by the worst aspects of their character. It lingers in the mind and has a haunting quality. I enjoyed this ( not so much the animal cruelty bits) and it)s memorable and , I believe, sympathetically translated so nothing is lost. Quietly understated and worth a read. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

Told from one person’s view. This is an elderly couple who haven’t spoken for years. It weaves dreams and memories and yes, there is a cat! I’m surprised that I haven’t heard of this writer before but I’ll be intrigued to read his large back catalogue.

A tale of two people, Émile and Marguerite both elderly, who had married late as they were both widowed. Émile has a cat and Marguerite a parrot, neither likes the other. When Émile is I’ll his cat disappears, when he finds its body he blames Marguerite, so attacks the parrot. They do not speak and start to communicate by notes. A sad tale, but very compelling. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.