Haunting and lyrical, The Bobcat is Katherine Forbes Riley’s magical debut novel in which Laurelie, a young art student who suffers in the aftermath of a sexual assault, has grown progressively more isolated and fearful. She transfers from her busy city university to a small college in rural Vermont, where she retreats into her vivid imagination, experiencing the world through her art. Most comfortable in the company of the child for whom she babysits, and most at ease in the woods, Laurelie has shunned any connection with her peers. One day, while exploring the woods, she and her young charge encounter an injured pregnant bobcat – and the hiker who has been following it for hundreds of miles. In the hiker and his feline companion Laurelie recognizes someone as reclusive and wary as herself. The hiker, too, finds human companionship painful to endure, yet he is drawn to wounded Laurelie the way he is drawn to the bobcat. As Laurelie moves toward recovery and reconnection she also finds her voice as an artist, and a sense of purpose, maybe even a future, comes into sight. Then the child goes missing in the woods, threatening the bobcat, the hiker, and the fragile peace Laurelie has constructed. With the hypnotic intensity of Emily Fridlund’s The History of Wolves and Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest, Riley has created a mesmerizing love story, in lush, gorgeous prose, that examines art, science, and the magic of human chemistry.
The Bobcat is a novel I was excited to read thanks to the mention of a coming of age and moving story laced in the description. I love when novels feature many themes, especially themes that do not typically fit into the genre of the book and so I was excited to get lost in this brilliant coming of age tale called The Bobcat! The Bobcat is an exceptional novel that will alight readers minds with amazement and entertain them from start to finish; this is because of the extraordinary author Katherine Forbes Riley who perfectly captivates her readers early in the start thanks to her wealth of world development and an intriguing plot. I would already recommend that you lovely readers have a read of The Bobcat; however, if you need more convincing, then continue to read!
The Bobcat is an exceptional novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable, poignant, and emotional journey. The reader will be introduced to the protagonist of the book, Laurelie. Laurelie is an art major who has moved to a small town in Vermont to attend a smaller college and also deal with her past. Laurelie suffered a sexual assault, and because of this, she has retreated into herself and isolated herself from the outside world. However, all of this changes one day while on an exploration in the woods, where she finds an injured and pregnant bobcat as well as a hiker who has been following the cat. From this encounter, Laurelie’s life changes, and her journey is told beautifully throughout The Bobcat, and this book lovers is the premise of the incredible The Bobcat!
The story of The Bobcat is phenomenal, and the wealth of intriguing characters combined with the extraordinary story will entertain readers from beginning to end. The author of The Bobcat perfectly describes every event and all the details for you. I admit that some novels can be confusing; however, I found with Riley’s literature that although it was detailed, it was immersive and brilliant! Riley manages to draw you in quickly and guide you along the way while never confusing you, and I am impressed with Riley’s talent to accomplish this as it is not easily done!
Katherine Forbes Riley is a phenomenal writer who knows how to grasp her reader’s attention from the first page. Riley instead of writing long, drawn-out builds up which are commonly found in novels, decides to ditch this approach and thrust her reader into the heart of the story straight away so that the reader is instantly captivated and immersed. I personally love this approach, what is the point of having a long build-up with little excitement? This is only necessary if the author in question can’t develop the characters in the story quickly, but with The Bobcat, the reader, will not encounter this issue because Riley instantly develops her characters and makes the reader invest in not only them but also their journey.
Overall The Bobcat is an incredible, phenomenal and breathtaking story that is immersive and full of detailed world-building so I, of course, have to award the stellar read an excellent five stars! So please, do read this book, book lovers and get lost in an incredible story as it will entertain you from beginning to end and leave a lasting impression. Be sure to have a read of the preview below book lovers; you will not regret it!
Thank you so much for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much. Here is a preview of the book for all of you lovely readers to enjoy! Please have a read of the preview and if you find that you have loved what you have read then all you need to do is follow the links below!
Goodbye for now book lovers,
P.S. Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers!
Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads
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