Matthew Flinders' Cat by Bryce Courtney

I had mixed feelings about this book. I am in a 12 step group myself and I found that Courtenay has captured the emotions and life of an alcoholic quite admirably. However I found that his musings on Matthew Flinders and his cat Trim a bit distracting. I kept waiting for a correlation between Flinders' adventures and that of the protagonist Billy but I could only find the slightest tie-ins. The book was a fairly easy read but I think that it would not have a broad appeal.

Courtney says that the book was hard to write but sometimes, it's hard to read. Not because of the writing which is up to his usual standard but because of the protaganist rather difficult life and the resulting plotline as well as his own storytelling and the resulting sub-plot. This is a book worth the investment both in money and in time but be forewarned - get the first two chapters under your belt before making a decision about it.