Book Review: Able Seacat Simon: The Wartime Hero of the High Seas by Lynne Barrett-Lee

Simon is discovered in the Hong Kong docks in 1948 and smuggled on board the H.M.S Amethyst by a British sailor who takes pity on the malnourished kitten. The young cat quickly acclimates to his new water-borne home, establishing himself as the chief rat-catcher in residence while also winning the hearts of the entire crew.

Then the Amethystis ordered to sail up the Yangtze to take over the guarding of the British Embassy, and tragedy strikes as the ship comes under fire from Communist guns. Many of the crew are killed and Simon is among those who are seriously wounded. Luckily, with the help of the ship’s doctor, the brave cat makes a full recovery and is soon spending time with the injured men in the sick bay, purring and keeping their spirits up. News of Simon’s heroism spreads and he becomes famous world-wide – but it is still a long journey back to England for both the crew and the plucky little cat known as ‘Able Seacat Simon’…

To discover a new author is one of the joys still to be found in life, and that is exactly what I’ve just done having finished this new book by the very talented Ms Barrett-Lee.

Based on true events during the Chinese Civil war, in its continuation phase after the Second World War, this is told from the point of view of the cat in the title. If you’ve not heard the story of HMS Amethyst, then this is actually a very good introduction to this riveting episode in the history of the Royal Navy.

Having been left on his own on the streets of Hong Kong, our titular hero is effectively ‘cat-napped’ and taken on board the frigate which will become the centre of the action around which the story is told, and which also becomes the home he hadn’t known he’d been searching for. Slowly becoming used to his surroundings, as well as trusting the humans his mother had warned him against, Simon finds his sea-legs and the warm welcome he is given by all the ships company is only increased by, despite his youth, his displaying a prowess for rat-catching (something which will come in very useful).

Settled into a happy life, Simon’s and his human companion’s lives are thrown into violent turmoil whilst going about their lawful activities, when they are targeted by a Communist artillery battery, causing multiple casualties and forced into a stand-off. Surviving his own injuries, Simon finds a new purpose and becomes central to the morale of the surviving ships company. As the weeks stretch into months and the endless series of fruitless negotiations sap their mental and physical strength, no end to the misery seems in sight when the Captain seizes an opportunity and the ship makes a break for freedom.

News of Simon’s part in the siege reaches the ears of the free world and he is hailed as one of the heroes of ordeal. The final part of the novel tells of his homecoming and, once back in the wilds of cold and windy England, his ultimate fate.

If you’ve seen the film ‘The Yangtse Incident’, then you’ll find this an invaluable companion. I can’t recall having read a book before that was written from the pov of an animal, but if this is the quality of Lynne Barrett-Lee’s writing, she could have a cockroach (no disrespect meant to any cockroachs – alive or dead – reading this review) as the protagonist, and she’d have me sold.

This is a moving book and I’m trying hard not to give the eventual fate of Simon away, but don’t let that box of tissues be too far away it how I’ll leave things.

Enjoy!

(Able Seacat Simon: The Wartime Hero of the High Seas is due to be released on 14th January 2016. To find out more about Lynne and her novels, visit her website: http://www.lynnebarrett-lee.com

by

Mick Arnold

Mick reviews books and will also be chatting about his experience as a male author in the romantic genre. Mick is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, New Writers Scheme. He lives in Northamptonshire and is the proud keeper of two cats, Gus and Elphaba. When he’s not trying to write books, Mick has a deep-seated love of reading that he’s brought from his teens to the current day with no signs of waning. He’s also mad on the music of the Beach Boys and enjoys the theatre and humouring his Manchester United supporting wife. Mick can be followed on Twitter: @mick859