"Cat Person" and Other Stories

By: Kristen Roupenian

Narrated by: Aubrey Plaza, Jayme Mattler, Molly Pope, Will Damron, Jasmin Savoy Brown - introduction, Emily Tremaine - introduction, Finn Wittrock, Amy Ryan, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Corey Brill, Gibson Frazier

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Featuring a brand-new story

“What’s special about ‘Cat Person,’ and the rest of the stories...is the author’s expert control of language, character, story - her ability to write stories that feel told, and yet so unpretentious and accessible that we think they must be true.” (The New York Times Book Review) 

“Kristen Roupenian isn’t just an uncannily great writer, she also knows things about the human psyche - things that I always supposed I would learn at some point, but never did.... The world has made a lot more sense since reading this book.” (Miranda July, New York Times best-selling author)

“If you think you know what this collection will be like, you’re wrong. These stories are sharp and perverse, dark and bizarre, unrelenting and utterly bananas. I love them so, so much.” (Carmen Maria Machado, National Book Award finalist and author of Her Body and Other Parties) 

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

Previously published as You Know You Want This, “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 stories 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 10-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.” 

©2019 Kristen Roupenian (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

I definitely don’t want this.

We need to be more careful about what we’re putting in our heads. This is dark and twisted.

Enthralling

Enjoyed the stories. Felt the moral between the lines. Still unsure if that was a good or bad thing.

Excellent stories for the mind

I enjoyed listening to these stories a lot. I fell asleep listening to them most nights and the images were striking, memorable, and lovely to chew on for a few days. I had two gripes with it however. One was the writing; at times it felt immature or fan-ficy, and I wished an editor had massaged it more. The other was the underlying connection between all the stories which fetishised weak men or superior women. This would have been fine for a couple or even a few but I personally found it tedious and boring as a motif. Still, the creativity and imagination that the stories inspired was worth these shortcomings.

Engrossing

Engrossing tales from the dark but funny side. Not a single story disappoints. Will be looking for more by this author.

Good grief!

This has been the strangest book I've ever read! I can't imagine what kind of mind makes up this kind of stuff. In a world where we live and hear the strangest things on your nightly news channel, I really need to hear a "happily ever after" ending. We live in bizzaro world daily with our president at the helm. I will not be purchasing this author again.

Really fun stories, mostly great narration

Very unique and fun to listen to short stories. I got this book after I read the short story "Cat Person". While I think that is still my favorite story in the collection, the other stories are good too. One of the narrators was a bit annoying and his performance was way too over the top, which ruined the story for me but most of the narrators were great. I would recommend this audiobook to everyone.

darkly captivating

really loved this collection of short stories. mood-altering dark but not depressing. I think my favorite story was the first one even though there were many runner-ups. loved the narration the first female narrator definitely my favorite. not sure which short story the author narrated but definitely curious.

couldn't stop listening

I'm so glad Toupenian is young! That means she'll write lots more fiction, and I'll read it as soon as it comes out. The stories have the style, insight and control of a millennial Henry James.
So damn good.

Worth the credit

I found this randomly through a wiki link and have to say some stories were stronger then most and the narration was better. Overall worth the credit. A lot of wtf moments in my favorite stories which are listed below:

1. The mirror , the bucket , and thigh bone
2. Cat person
3. Biter
4. Good guy
5. Death wish

Others I couldn’t really get into and some were good but didn’t stand out tone

Undeniably enticing!

The author does a great job at playing with sado-masochistic fantasy/paraphelia. As well as, the taboo surrounding it in this read.