huh. invisible kitties is not one that i was expecting in any way. i thought a short novel, but i got a collection of two=three page vignettes complete with artwork. no semblance of a plot, which was disappointing to me, but the vibes were definitely cool. 3.5 stars, tysmfor the arc.

Invisible Kitties is a lovely book-- sometimes poetic, sometimes quirky-- of short and winding stories. The cats are personified as a source of comfort in a challenging world. Before looking at the publication date, I found that the book had the interior feel of a 2020's novel. The magic and joy found in the companionship of animals infuses every page

Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. INVISIBLE KITTIES is not a novel; it's barely even the concept of a novel. What it is is 60 vignettes extolling the author's love for cats. A few are charming, such as the one about how cats draw circles of varying sizes around their owners, and so long as each one exists within the circle together, they can do whatever they want. But even as a cat lover, I quickly became tired of the many ways in which Yu tried to be clever and inventive when describing the quirks of cats.

I'm not sure if I would put INVISIBLE KITTIES under the "cozy cat Asian literature" category, because I feel like appreciators of this subgenre usually want a modicum of a plot.Those who REALLY love cats, don't mind "no plot just vibes" books, and value inventive metaphors and other descriptive language might get along better with this one.

Dear Author,

Invisible Kitties: A Feline Study of Fluid Mechanics or The Spurious Incident of the Cats in the Night-Time is a beautiful and whimsical love letter to our feline friends. They influence our lives in profound and mundane ways, bringing annoyance and joy, games of mystery and intrigue, and the occasional deposits of fluids or solids on the floor. But we love them, and this book is your love letter to your two warm, loving kitties. Thank you for sharing this with us.


Yours truly,
J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperVia Publishing, for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Such a charming book, made up of vignettes to describe and explain what it’s like to live with a cat. And all the ways cats can seem to defy the laws of physics-how they seem to turn to liquid when you pick them up or evaporate when you’re looking for them. There’s also an adorable, fantastical version of the cat distribution system brought to life. It uses magical realism to explore all the thoughts people have about their cats. Very cute.

This book is adorable. It’s observations on cats through the eyes of a cat lover, following the day-to-day mysteries of Cat such as … where does he go when you’re looking for him? How can a cat be so long, and yet so small, weigh so much and yet at the same time nothing at all. The comparison of a cat’s purr to the boiling of water in a kettle, as cats are preparing to make tea to be shared is lovely and perfect.

There’s humor in this, whimsy and lyricism. It’s perfect for a cat lover with no sad moments; instead it’s just joy and more joy and I very much want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC of this book.

Overall I enjoyed the book. This is not my normal cup of tea but I did thoroughly enjoy the book and I would read it again. As someone who is a self proclaimed cat person, the thoughts are consistent with most cat people.

I couldn’t get into this book. It was weird and I didn’t understand what was going on or where the story was going. This was a DNF for me, unfortunately.