Monday, July 20, 2015

BookReview‬: The Black Cat, by Edgar Allan Poe

This is a recorded confession of a man who loves animals, and who used to keep many pets. The animals loved him as much in return. However, a strange, inexplicable change gradually creeps into his personality. Overtaken by drunken fits of rage, he starts ill-treating his pets. Even his loving wife is forced to the receiving end of his ill temperament. One of the animals he brutally ill-treats is his favourite pet--a black cat. What follows is an even more gruesome confession, not only of ill-treatment, but also of murder, and the role his past plays against his designs to get away with it.

Some details in this tale are very graphic descriptions. Poe's words sketch very potent word-pictures that impress strongly upon the mind. Not recommended for the faint of heart. In any case not a bed-time read, unless you fancy disturbed sleep if not nightmares.

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