Unlike two of the reviews prior to this one, I was very impressed by the flow of this story. We go from a fearful child, fearful of his father, fear of cats, of life of danger. When he finally finds some pleasure in his life, it is taken away from him when he has to flee because of the Nazis. He then is involved in a boat sinking where he dreams (encounters) a cat who he first fears but then overcomes.

Later in his life, he once again finds happiness, but it is tainted by a friend of his who has problems with black/white relationships (very normal in Brazil). He loses his mother in the war, and he visits his father in a German insane asylum. He has come to grips with his father and even meets an old lover.

When he gets back to Brazil, he finds that the man he ran away from in Germany has come to live on the hill above his house. They have several run ins and Max come to the point where they face-off and Max kills him. Coming home after five years in jail, he spends the rest of his life raising prize 'brazilian angora' cats. It's a great little story about people conquering their fears, and trying to make things right in the world.

Zeb Kantrowitz

I read this book to write an essay for Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi. I read life of pi fist. Max and the Cats was inspiration for Life of Pi. actually life of pi was the worst book i ever read. beacuse of this i liked Max and the cats. it was fresh, serious, and not wierd. One regrettable thing is that the story goes too fast...