Kitten: A Novel - Hardcover

Yu, Stacey

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798217155064

Publisher: Random House, 2026

Synopsis

An enchanting debut novel about a young woman whose growing obsession with her boyfriend’s cat opens new possibilities for her life—but not without threatening to unravel it.

“Abound in wit and restraint, Kitten explores the funny yet unsettling complexities of modern love. . . . A fearless debut!” —Weike Wang, author of Chemistry

“Yu’s novel is both a kind of Gen Z parable of existential nihilism and a psychologically deft portrait of mother-daughter trauma. . . this spiky debut refuses to be boxed in”—Kirkus Reviews

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION’S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • A HARPER’S BAZAAR MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK

Katie is far from home, fresh out of college, and desperate to skirt the demands of adult life. It doesn’t help that she’s no longer speaking to her mother. Or that she owes her roommate and closest friend months of rent money. Luckily, her self-assured, generous boyfriend James seems happy to make decisions for them both. When James takes Katie on vacation to his family’s seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy connection.

Silver doesn’t mind that Katie can’t seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, act cute, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they’re inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open . . . or maybe just crack.

Because if Katie has learned anything from her mother, it’s that devotion comes at a price. As Katie's affection for Silver deepens, her other relationships begin to falter, until she’s forced to confront what she really desires from life—and what she might have to risk to get it.

Darkly playful, wryly observant, and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from an irresistible new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in an age that is as disorienting and lonely as it is full of hope and promise.

About this title

About the Author

Stacey Yu is a Chinese American writer. She grew up between Texas, Arkansas, and California and currently lives in London. Kitten is her debut novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

When James first introduced me to Silver, he planted her in my arms like she was something I already loved. I immediately dropped her. “That’s okay,” said James, who forgave me for everything. “That’s fine.” Silver landed on her feet the way cats are supposed to, even when they fall off tall buildings. I thought that was amazing.

“My parents are on vacation,” James said. “I’m looking after her until the first of October.”

October was in two weeks. The year would soon be over. Each time I thought about this, a wave of anxiety passed through me, and I had to dig my nails into my palms for something else to focus on. Later, we were going to dinner to celebrate my birthday, which made me feel similarly psychologically ambushed. It had been a year since I last spoke with my mother. I was twenty-two and aware of the rest of my life.

James picked a Georgian restaurant famous for its khachapuri, something I’d never heard of. Because he had to work late, he missed my actual birthday two days ago. I wasn’t bothered, but my roommate, Lou, said it signaled something

slightly obsessive about him. “I’m the obsessive one in our relationship,” I said. “People always think there’s only one obsessive,” she replied. She bought me a dozen cupcakes, the first time we celebrated a birthday sober. She was hungover from a gallery opening the night before and could only stomach two, so I brought the rest to James’s to have after dinner. When James saw the cupcakes, he was pleased. “You always say your roommate hates you,” he said. “But look! She loves you.”

James didn’t understand why I assumed that people disliked me. It was true, only it didn’t bother me like it bothered him. Strangers intimidated me and I tended to avoid eye contact with people, even the ones I knew. Meanwhile, James was liked by everybody and had a face that made people say yes to him. It wasn’t clear whether he was aware of this power. James was like a child if a child were an adult.

“Watch this.” James stuck out his index finger. Silver, who had been sulking behind the leather armchair since her fall, darted to his feet. Then she rose, standing on her hind legs to meet the tip of his finger with her nose. She held the position for two seconds before returning to the ground. This was incredible to witness.

“You should put her in a commercial or something,” I said.

James laughed. “She doesn’t perform for just anyone.”

I waved my finger to get Silver’s attention. Next to James’s tall figure she looked even smaller, just a smudge. She arched her neck to look at me, puckish, but did not move. It was hard not to take the rejection personally.

“We should get going, or we’ll be late.”

James was always anxious about being late. Whenever I spent a lot of time with him, I felt myself reaching for his worries like I was trying on his clothes. But even when such worries threatened to materialize, I could never summon enough feeling to care.

The corridor was narrow, and we bumped shoulders. Silver followed us with her tail held straight except for the tip, which twitched and nodded drowsily. I looked into her round green eyes and felt something shift from deep inside me, a desire to pick her up and put her in my mouth, not to eat but to keep safe. It was impressive how oversized pupils wielded this power over people. If pets or babies weren’t cute, we wouldn’t have them.

“I’m not sure about that,” James said. “I think people have a natural instinct to look out for helpless things.”

“Yeah,” I said. “But only because they’re cute.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798217155064
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304