A single, 34-year-old man with an aversion and allergy to cats is forced to find homes for six precious felines in The Christmas Cat, a heartwarming novel by Melody Carlson (The Christmas Dog). Garrison Brown--trying to build a new life in Seattle after spending nine years doing missionary work in Uganda, battling malaria and nursing a broken heart--receives word, near Christmas, that his widowed grandmother has died of a heart attack.
Summoned to Vancouver, Wash., to settle her affairs, Garrison is surprised to learn that his frugal Gram--who raised him after his parents died in a car crash when he was 12--left behind her house, fully paid off, along with a substantial nest egg. Before Garrison can claim his inheritance, however, he is designated as "the keeper of the cats," responsible for following Gram's detailed, stringent criteria to match each of her six very different kitties with a compatible new owner. Once Garrison can prove each cat is happily settled, the selected adoptive families will each receive $10,000. Where does this leave Garrison--especially with his ill feelings about felines? And just how can he sort the suitable prospective pet-lovers from the opportunists looking for quick cash?
What ensues is a lighthearted story of Garrison's reconnection to his old neighborhood, his interactions with strangers who may become friends--or even something more--and his rekindling of old hopes and dreams. Carlson, prolific in feel-good, faith-based fiction, once again delivers an affirming tale brimming with compassion and charm. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines