You may favour shows and books with apocalyptic themes, but you’ve probably never come across something like this; the novel ‘The Cats We Meet Along the Way’ follows the story of seventeen-year-old Aisha who wants to make amends with her sister before the impending end of the world in nine months’ time.
In a wildly decorated caravan, she takes a road trip through Malaysia along with her family and Fleabag the stray cat in search of her estranged sister.
Written by Kuching-born Nadia Mikail, the book has bagged the Waterstones children’s book prize. It won the older readers category and was named the overall winner. Waterstones is the last surviving bookshop chain in the UK and the awards are voted by Waterstones’ booksellers. Nadia won £5,000 (approximately RM27,516) for her debut novel which was inspired by being away from her family and the pandemic.
Posting about her win on her Instagram page, Nadia said, “There are no words to describe how I felt when this was announced, and my lack of ability to find those words was made very clear when I stumbled onstage and mumbled noises that I hope sounded a bit like thank you…This story is so dear to my heart. I put so much of me in it: so many memories, so much hope, a huge complicated mix of emotions. Receiving this award is life-changing, but knowing that you had such faith in it is also a warm, bright feeling that will stay with me forever.”
Speaking to FMT, she said “I was away from my family when I started writing about an estranged family, but then the pandemic hit and I was trying to process feelings of fear and impending grief. So that inspired the apocalyptic part of the story I think. Heavy stuff.” A law graduate of King’s College, London, Nadia is now studying for her Solicitor’s Qualifying Examination (SQE).
The book was first published by Guppy Books back in 2022 and won their 2020 Guppy YA Open Submissions Competition. Her work has also been featured in local publications such as Fixi Novo’s KL Noir Magic (2021) and Maya Press’ Malaysian Millennial Voices (2021).
British magazine ‘The Bookseller’ has praised the 192-page book as being “Poignant, thoughtful and life-affirming.” Meanwhile, Florentyna Martin, Waterstones head of children’s, said, “In a phenomenal debut, Nadia Mikail’s prose sparkles in the growing market for older readers.
Booksellers were overwhelmed by the tenderness woven through each chapter; the moments of silence between the characters are as truthful and evocative as their conversations,” she continued. “Mikail has ultimately crafted a novel of hope, set against an eventful road trip, that encourages us to share stories and dreams.”
You can purchase the book on MPH Online here.
Image credit: @snsknene