"Cat Person" and Other Stories

A compulsively readable collection of short stories that explore the complex--and often darkly funny--connections between gender, sex, and power across genres.

"Cat Person" and Other Stories brilliantly explores the ways in which women are horrifying as much as it captures the horrors that are done to them. Among its pages are a couple who becomes obsessed with their friend hearing them have sex, then seeing them have sex...until they can't have sex without him; a ten-year-old whose birthday party takes a sinister turn when she wishes for "something mean"; a woman who finds a book of spells half hidden at the library and summons her heart's desire: a nameless, naked man; and a self-proclaimed "biter" who dreams of sneaking up behind and sinking her teeth into a green-eyed, long-haired, pink-cheeked coworker.

Spanning a range of genres and topics--from the mundane to the murderous and supernatural--these are stories about sex and punishment, guilt and anger, the pleasure and terror of inflicting and experiencing pain. These stories fascinate and repel, revolt and arouse, scare and delight in equal measure. And, as a collection, they point a finger at you, daring you to feel uncomfortable--or worse, understood--as if to say, "You want this, right? You know you want this."

O colectie lizibila in mod compulsiv de nuvele care exploreaza conexiunile complexe - si adesea intunecate amuzante - dintre gen, sex si putere intre genuri. „Persoana pisica” si alte povesti exploreaza cu brio modalitatile in care femeile sunt oripilante la fel de mult ca si ea surprinde ororile care li se fac. Printre paginile sale se afla un cuplu care devine obsedat de prietenul lor auzindu-i cum fac sex, apoi ii vad facand sex ... pana cand nu pot face sex fara el; o tanara de zece ani a carei petrecere de nastere ia o intorsatura sinistra cand isi doreste „ceva rau”; o femeie care gaseste o carte de vraji pe jumatate ascunsa la biblioteca si isi convoaca dorinta inimii: un barbat fara nume, gol; si un "biter" auto-proclamat care viseaza sa se strecoare in spate si sa-si scufunde dintii intr-un coleg cu ochi verzi, cu parul lung, cu obrajii roz. Se intinde pe o gama larga de genuri si subiecte - de la cele banale la cele ucigase si supranaturale. - acestea sunt povesti despre sex si pedeapsa, vinovatie si furie, placerea si teroarea de a provoca si de a experimenta durere.