European Shorthair

Joana Estrela

Considered by the critics to have “an astounding narrative voice”, Joana Estrela returns to the cartoon format with a story about a cat’s dying days and the difficult decisions faced by its adoptive family.

A moving book about loss which also celebrates life — that of a cat at the heart of a human family: with the inherent complicity, anxieties, habits and obsessions, as well as, finally, the days leading up to an inevitable farewell.

“It’s Saturday morning. The cat’s still alive. But he’s still dying too.”

Selected for the White Ravens 2024 with the motivation:

“Even if cats supposedly have more than one life, there comes a time when they, too, have to go. And now it is that time for the tired and sick 17-year old tomcat Manel. The family – father, mother and the likewise 17-year-old daughter who tells this story – with whom Manel has spent his entire life – now ask themselves what they should do for the moribund animal. With heavy hearts they decide to have him put to sleep. In this graphic novel, Joana Estrela depicts Manel’s last days in a reserved and gentle tone, without many words, as a time of letting go, farewells, pain, grief, and taking responsibility. The simple illustrations suit this quiet, serene text perfectly. With just a few fine black lines on a yellow background and a few washes, they are limited to the three people and the animal while the setting is merely hinted at by a few details. The reductive style of the text and illustrations is impressive because it focuses the reader’s attention on the essence of the story.”

 

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