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Permission to be still

A YEAR OF CATS AND DOGS
By Margaret Hawkins
176 pp. Permanent Press $28

Reviewed by Ann Hite

That long agonizing year after a major relationship split has finally been given a true airing in Margaret Hawkins’ first novel, A Year of Cats and Dogs. This book is not your typical woman comes out on the other side of breakup novel. The story of Maryanne, the main character, lends a mystical quality to the novel that allows the suspension of logic, and renders the myriad quirks in life perfectly reasonable.

Philip, Maryanne’s live-in partner for ten years, leaves the relationship in a slow and careless way. He goes to Seattle on an extended job assignment. His visits whittle to almost nothing. Then one night over his signature dinner of roasted duck, he makes the suggestion to Maryanne that he can be in love with two women at the same time:

For him, he said, it was like having two pets: you loved them both in different ways. He said this as we ate and I supposed it made sense but I couldn’t finish my duck breast. He was insulted that I didn’t eat because he’d made it crispy just the way I liked it.

So begins Maryanne’s journey of discovery. Each morning she forces herself out of bed and throws the I Ching, the Chinese book of change—a three thousand-year-old Taoist spiritual guide—which provides the novel’s structure. Each chapter title mirrors one in the I Ching, giving the novel a subtle wisdom. Maryanne withdraws from her old life, a life she discovers didn’t fit well in the first place. Her dog, her cat, and her father, who visits once a week, are her sole companions. She quits her job working for a thriving collectibles company where she supervised the writing of poems to be printed on the cherished items. She has no idea what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Her favorite pastime is taking a long morning bath after walking Bob at the dog park. Both cat and dog join her in the bathroom for quiet company. In this intense solitude, Maryanne begins to hear Bob’s thoughts. Before she knows what is happening, dogs at Pet Smart begin to send her messages as she walks past.

Maryanne embraces her new gift one bright ordinary afternoon when she agrees to volunteer at a nearby dog shelter. Her first assignment is to walk a panting, limping old black shepherd named Toro, who has a huge lump on his side. After a few steps, Toro stops walking and looks at Maryanne. He sits down. She joins him on the grass. There is an understanding between woman and dog that he is tired beyond just the few steps they took together. His body is worn out, sick. While scratching his ear, Maryanne tries her best to convey peace to Toro. Crazy or not, she is moved to give this dog permission to accept his transition.

Later that evening she receives a call from a fellow volunteer that Toro has died while napping in his cage and the veterinarian would like to speak with Maryanne. In her heart, she knows her open presence helped Toro to die peacefully on his own without the intrusion of needles and drugs. This realization gives her a newfound belief in herself.

Stan, the vet, is so impressed with Maryanne’s ‘dog whispering’ talent, he asks her to work with the other dogs. Maybe she can make their visits to the shelter more comfortable. It doesn’t take him long to offer her a fulltime job as his assistant. She steps out of her box and accepts the position.

The metamorphosis from long naps and complete solitude to cooking her favorite dishes, inviting her new boss to dinner, and spending more time with her father allows the reader to witness Maryanne’s transformation.

The author’s recipes sprinkled throughout the book are an additional treat. Not only do they add to the chapter’s mood and make the reader’s stomach growl, but they taste pretty good too. I tried Chili for Consolation and received my family’s approval.

Ms. Hawkins’ combination of struggle, spirituality, and nurturing makes this book one of the most satisfying reads this year. I found the character of Maryanne refreshing in a market saturated with too many mediocre characters. In a time when women are bombarded by the media to be everything but themselves, this novel gives women permission to be still and discover their interior life.

A Year of Cats and Dogs will be a great gift this holiday season for my daughters and friends. It’s one of those books this reader can’t help but love.

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Ann Hite is hard at work on Where The Souls Go, or, as she commonly calls it, The Beast. Where The Souls Go is the second novel in an intended series of Black Mountain Stories. When not in her fictional community of Black Mountain, Ann can be found hanging out with her family.

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