Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II by Mala Kacenberg

In the Polish village of Tarnograd, 12 year old Mala lives a typically idyllic and peaceful childhood. That comes to a brutal end when the German tanks roll in, and the village becomes a ghetto and she is forced to scavenge and barter for food for the family.

On her way back from one of these trips, she finds her family have been rounded up for deportation. A smuggled note from her sister warns her to stay away. She escapes into the surrounding deep pine forest, the start of a life on the run.

Malach

Keeping her company in hiding is a stray cat she calls ‘Malach’. Amazingly, this cat even comes to her rescue at one stage, attacking a nazi pursuer. She is very much in the role of a guardian angel and a companion during the loneliest and most horrific part of her life.

There are too many close escapes to mention here, and it’s incredible the risks that Mala takes. But she has to - her family are gone, and she has no one in the world. I won’t spoil the story but some of her near misses almost defy belief. But survive she does.

She manages to ‘escape’ to Germany, where she manages to hide in plain sight - disguised as a young Christian girl, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she works in a hotel until the war ends.

Audiobook

It seems churlish to say what I didn’t like about this book, given the subject matter, but as a book reviewer it’s what I must do.

I listened to this on audiobook and it felt like there were times when I was drifting in and out of the narrative. I don’t actually blame the audiobook narrator for this - the story is written so matter of factly, devoid of personality and emotion. The writing felt incredibly bland.

Another thing for a book with a cat in the title - there’s very little cat. It does make more of an appearance in the earlier chapters when Mala goes on the run, but it vanishes for chapters at a time. I get that our feline friends disappear for hours/days at a time but still. Even when she moves countries, the cat just seems to turn up with no explanation as to how she kept it with her.

Summary

Of course you can only admire Mala’s courage - it’s incredible how she even survives. As you’d expect, this is a harrowing tale and an incredible story, but I just wish it had been better written and edited. I think it works best as an introductory book on the Holocaust for YA.

(I read this as part of the Book’dout 2024 Non-Fiction Challenge in the ‘Pets’ Category.)