The Calico Cat by Amanda James.

                The Calico Cat by Amanda James. 

"Then life takes huge bites out of you, chews you up, spits you out and watches you slowly bleed to death by the wayside."

I find it refreshing to come across writing that is somewhat different and far removed from the world of crime and detection, my usual genre. James indicates that this is about a journey of self-discovery, life, love and adventure mainly for the persona, Lottie Morgan, a "damaged" individual because of how her parents mismanaged an extremely "delicate" situation when their daughter was at an impressionable age.

Lottie is not your average female and she is so complicated, having suffered a rejection by Jenny her mother then further betrayals from people she cared about. It got so bad for Lottie that she started to self-harm, followed by suicidal thoughts then displayed what is referred to as psychotic behaviour. We get a glimpse of her childhood at the age of eleven when she asks her mother for a calico cat having seen one in a film. She loved the combination of colours: black, white and ginger (tortoiseshell). It was different and throughout the novel this is one characteristic that defines the character of Lottie.

The story swiftly moves on to the woman at twenty-eight years of age when she had been teaching history in her local secondary school for six years. She had what she called "a turning point." In fact she has three significant moments in life that have maximum impact. Whilst teaching she became distracted by nature outside the window and walked out of her class. She continued walking and never returned even when the head, Tom Kershaw advised Lottie to have counselling. Rather misguidedly, he assumed she was having a nervous breakdown.

"I longed to be out there in the wind, feeling the freshness of its kiss, the damp blossom sticking to my cheeks. I wanted to run to the wild ocean, immerse myself in nature, listen to the roar of the waves, fill my lungs and roar back."

Teaching had become too mundane, too ordinary for her. It crushed your soul and swallowed your dreams. No looking back. A clean break.

Lottie had an apartment in Newquay overlooking the sea. She had been fortunate in that her grandmother, Gwendoline had left her a lot of money and a house eighteen months ago when she died from cancer. Gran had been a painter and Lottie is determined to follow in her footsteps. She's very much a loner and seems unable to have  long-term relationships so it seems a bit of a surprise when she becomes quite attached to Caleb Walker, a business studies teacher at the school where she used to work. He is smitten not having come across anyone quite as spontaneous in her actions as Lottie.

"You're bloody marvellous, and brave and-and different."

As Lottie's confidence in Caleb grows they become good friends and eventually lovers on Lottie's terms, of course. It is then that she reveals how she dealt badly with her angst as a teenager, needed counselling and was suspended for rude and inappropriate behaviour to her English teacher. Caleb and Lottie are like chalk and cheese. His family life was ordinary and uneventful; Lottie's was chaotic and unstable.

At the age of thirteen something unexpected, shocking yet significant shaped her turbulent future, permanently staining it.

"[It was] a big fat secret that my parents had kept hidden for twenty-three years[which] stepped out into the light."

Painting becomes her saving grace and she shows an unbelievable talent in the way she depicts nature. One of her challenging paintings stems from that request to have a calico cat. Over time she creates a wonderful piece of art using the cat as the main subject. Caleb sees how important the painting is:

"You chose to paint this cat to remind you of your first turning point, but also to represent who you are." A clever metaphor. Lottie can be irritating when she over-analyses far too many things to make her seem neurotic and indecisive, confrontational.

A walking holiday with Caleb seems like a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better. Initially it goes well and they meet some interesting people. However, Caleb oversteps the mark, takes advantage of a situation behind Lottie's back concerned with her estranged family and once Lottie finds out what he has done she is so angry she throws him out of the room and cuts him loose. She can't cope with any type of betrayal.

As that relationship flounders Lottie accidentally meets up with another walker, Louise Truscott, like-minded and lovely. Lottie sees her as a maternal figure and they develop an extremely close and satisfying friendship: "It's as if Louisa and me we were supposed to meet, become friends and share our stories." This part of Lottie's journey of self-discovery shows a more relaxed and happier person emerging thanks to the kindness and support of Louisa. Obviously there's more to the story, more challenges for Lottie to deal with but she acquires the "tools" to be able to succeed. It's a lovely and rewarding read, strong female characters who dominate their male counterparts. Enough said!

REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.

Publisher: Bombshell Books.  ISBN: 978-1-912604

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