Some cats need nine lives to make a difference.
Avalon only needed one.
From the moment my eyes gazed upon the cover of Avalon by Vanessa Morgan, I knew that this was going to be a special book. Let me correct that. I had the pleasure of following Avalon's blog for a number of years before he crossed the bridge, and knew that one day, Vanessa would pour her heart and soul into a tribute that would not only be a cathartic experience for her, but it would be a cathartic experience for all of us who have been obsessed with (admit it, there has been at least one special pet in your life, where your love bordered on or plunged headfirst into obsession), our love of a pet.
When we have the deepest affection for an animal,
we do not possess that love
but are possessed by it.
---Dean R. Koontz
Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever
been obsessively in love with a pet
One of many things that I loved about reading Avalon, was, that this was the first memoir where the author ADMITTED having an obsessive love for their cat. For me, that love was with my Angel Bobo. Like Avalon, Bobo "appeared" one day as if he were sent to me by divine intervention. Like Vanessa, (and without boring you with the minute details), when Bobo entered my life I was scarred from the many years of physical and emotional abuse that I endured in our home, from my mother. (I don't believe that Vanessa was the victim of physical abuse, but she was definitely a victim of emotional abuse). While I adore Cody, my love for Bobo was completely different. It WAS obsessive. He was my FIRST cat, he came to me. He was the first cat I had as an adult. He licked my hand when I cried, sat vigil when I was ill, slept with me every night, and never let me out of his sight, much like Avalon did with Vanessa. He gave me an unconditional love that I had never experienced before. We made it our mission to love each other. I remember my Vet mentioning many times when he witnessed us interacting, that we had a bond "unlike any other he had ever seen." My Vet hadn't met Vanessa and Avalon.
Avalon didn't need language to make his demands clear. We were like an old couple living together for so long they finish each other's sentences and know what the other is thinking without uttering a word.
Caring for this cat, I had the feeling that this was the one thing I was meant to do in this life. The one thing I was so obviously created to do, that it simply felt like breathing. "Promise you'll stay with me for many more years," I said. I used to tell my Bobo, "Please stay with me until you are 24" (he did his best, but passed a day after his 18th birthday.)
Another passage from Avalon that deeply touched me was one that I could relate to my obsessive love for my beloved Bobo as well: My pets were the only ones who anesthetized that hopelessness. When I believed that nothing would ever work out for me, they still made me smile. When I thought that I was unworthy of being loved, they showed me they cared. And then there was Avalon, who, because of his own traumas and imperfections, made me feel understood. So when I lay awake at night, going over how unlucky I was, and Avalon slid next to me to fall asleep in my arms, I thought, "I am so lucky to have found you."
I knew that parts of Avalon were going to be difficult emotionally for me to read, as, (I will be honest here), they will be for you as well. That being said, I don't for one minute regret reading Avalon, quite the contrary. I derived comfort from this beautifully written book, and felt that I just wanted to reach out and offer Vanessa the warmth of a comforting hug. I wanted to sit down with her and share a cup of coffee and discuss how our "one-of-a-kind" mancats, graced our lives and loved us with every inch of their being, as we loved them back.
Everything terrible is something that needs our love
----Rainer Maria Rilke
From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat. With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.
I know that if you are reading this review to the end, and I thank you for doing so, you have experienced the same type of love with your beloved pets. I urge you to purchase this book, (and to enter our give-away). Yes, you will probably cry, but that is ok. It is important to grieve and remember, to honor the memory of the soul kitties (and other pets), that are a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The tears will soothe your pain, for the time it takes you to read this marvelous book, you will be re-united once again.
From Avalon: I started this book with the hope that the more people would read his story, the more something of his spirit would linger on. Now that it's finished, I understand that what I truly wanted was to relive our life together through my writing. It doesn't matter if a million people fall in love with Avalon, because all their awe combined wouldn't even match mine. I wanted to eternalize Avalon, make him important to the world, but we were each other's world, and I am so incredibly grateful for the little eternity that was accorded to us.
I feel the same about my Bobo, as I am sure many of you do as well. Thank you Vanessa Morgan for baring your soul, thank you for sharing this most exquisite and special mancat with us.
May we all be blessed to experience the same kind of love.
Purchase links for Avalon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vanessa Morgan is an author, screenwriter, and blogger. Two
of her works, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man, have been
turned into films. Her short film scriptNext to Her is currently in
pre-production. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find
her reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or
photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats
Social media links
ENTER OUR GIVE-AWAY! Vanessa is offering ONE of our readers who RESIDES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD the chance to win a copy of Avalon. Entering is easy, just enter on the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review/give-away. I was sent a complimentary copy of Avalon in exchange for my ALWAYS honest review.
