First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Rare Machines/Dundurn Press for the eArc of this book!

When I got approved for the eARC of this book I was ecstatic for mainly two reasons:
1. because I’ve been looking for a short story collection to accommodate my chronically online attention span
2. because all 5 stories sounded exactly like something that would get me real good.

I was (almost) entirely right. A Song for Wildcats had me in a grip from the first page on and it didn’t really let me go until the last one. In this book are incredible stories, all worth your time and your attention, and I am so glad I got to read them.

Caitlin Galway has a way with words that manages to strike true every single time – vivid imagery, poignant descriptions of grief, love and loyalty. An effortless blend of the real world and the supernatural draws you right in and puts you right at the heart of the story.

Every story deals with a different kind of trauma, a different kind of grief, whether it’s grieving family, love or even loss of yourself but one thing these stories are not, is devoid of hope. Hope for escape, hope for peace, hope for love; hope is embedded in every line and it’s what makes it all worth it.

Each story stands strong on its own, whether it’s a tale of secret summer love amid the Paris student riots, of an orphan and his aunt trying to work through their shared grief, of a girl trying to find herself, of a young woman trying to make sense of a lost friend or of two girls trying to survive their families out in the Australian wilderness. Only one of them, ‘The Wisp’, didn’t quite catch me, but I’m chalking that up to me just not getting it.

This collection is definitely worth reading and worth feeling, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Overwritten and surreal. I did not care for these stories at all and was unable to complete this collection.

this... simply wasn't my cup of tea. i didn't care about the stories in between, even though the starting one was a banger. i felt so bored throughout reading it because it was pretty poetic writing, yes, but there didn't seem to be much depth to it - or at least not the kind i could readily Feel or connect to.

I couldn't really get into this past the first story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Reviewing this for my Mslexia column, What's New In Short Stories, issue 106. Thank you for the arc.

"A Song for Wildcats" is a collection of short stories by Caitling Galway that explores themes of mental health, grief, perseverance, and resilience. The stories often have a dreamlike quality. While the writing is vivid and the concepts are unique, I occasionally struggled to connect with or stay engaged throughout the book as a whole. Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy (ARC).

Caitlin Galway certainly has skill as a writer. Her prose is phenomenal, and any fan of detailed, poetic writing styles will enjoy the experience of reading her stories.

If you are a fan of realistically written queer characters, complex familial dynamics, and people who feel like real people just doing their best amidst the chaos of life, this is worth a read. The discussion on interpersonal relationships in many forms throughout the work was very well done.

Despite her talent, this is only a 3 star for me. While the first story and the final two stories were excellent, the middle dragged, and I found myself fighting the urge to skim. I will also say I am a fan of collections with slightly shorter stories than the average page length of those in this collection, so that may have played a factor.

Thank you to Caitlin Galway, Dundurn Press, Rare Machines, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first story and the last story so much but the ones they sandwiched fell flat for me a little. I would have liked to have seen those two stories fleshed out a little more. Maybe there’s an audience for them, just wasn’t for me.

I just adored the intimate writing style of these short stories. The language was so rich and immersive and I really got a sense of the characters even in a relatively short space of time.

The titular story and The Lyrebird’s Bell (the first and last) were my favourites and I would have loved to spend more time with these characters. The only one that didn’t do much for me personally was the second story, Heatstroke.

If I gave half stars, this would be a 4.5!

A Song for Wildcats by Caitlin Galway is a wide ranging collection of stories that are poignant and resonant.

3.5 stars
I loveeeeed the first short story and the last, but the ones in between fell short for me. The writing in all of the stories was beautiful and had an air of something haunting simmering beneath the surface. I almost wish the last story was a novella, there was so much to unpack with Betsy and her story. A mixed bag but some gorgeous prose.

I think the writing was beautiful in the book. It was hard for me to get into it and stay engaged but I think the writing is still beautiful and there is an audience out there for the book just not for me