Publisher HarperCollins is generating a big pre-holiday buzz for SuBo’s Cat: The Imaginings of Susan Boyle’s Cat.
SuBo’s Cat is a graphic novel that reveals “the shocking truth behind the tabloid headlines” about Britain’s breakthrough singing sensation, the publisher’s blurb reads.
“Manipulated, abused and exploited, SuBo has been the victim of the most heinous of crimes and finally we can expose the perpetrator … her beloved cat, Pebbles.”
The story was written and illustrated by Anastasia Catris, a young woman from Cardiff, Wales, who pitched the idea for the book while she was doing an internship at HarperCollins’ London office.
“The next thing you knew, they were asking me to illustrate it,” Cartis said. She quit her job at a bar and concentrated on drawing the 112-page graphic novel.
SuBo’s Cat starts off as a light, frivolous story that becomes darker as the plot goes on. HarperCollins’ synopsis reads, “Pebbles forced [Boyle] to audition for Britain’s Got (No) Talent for her own financial gain and pushed her to breaking point when she came second in the final. And it is Pebbles who is reaping the rewards of SuBo’s rise to superstardom.”
Although the book is illustrated, a reviewer at The Sprout cautions that it’s definitely not a children’s book. “That’s not to say there’s anything ‘bad’ in it that you need to keep away from children, just that the humor is a dark and satirical view of society (particularly our obsession with shows like Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor).”
SuBo’s Cat will go on sale December 15 through retailers including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore. HarperCollins hopes the graphic novel will be one of its Christmas bestsellers in Britain.
[Sources: The Sprout and HarperCollins]
