The same can be said of some of the other stories of this collection, while in others the threading is so loose the original story is hardly recognizable. The original story is recognizable, but it has been repackaged for this day and age. Link offers an entirely new imagining of this fairytale by taking the thread of the original story and winding it around a radically different place and cast. In this story and each tale she presents, Link toes the line between immersive, magical world building and honest self-awareness of the ridiculousness of, say, a talking cat. “The mechanics of how I can speak are really of no great interest, and I’m afraid that I don’t really understand it myself,” the cat says. Unlike “The White Cat,” the original French fairy tale that Link’s story is based on, this quest takes the rich man’s youngest son to a cannabis factory in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado - one that is, of course, run by a talking cat. The opening story, “The White Cat’s Divorce,” centers on a rich man living a life of luxury who sends his three sons off to find him a small dog. Link’s voice and clear awareness of cultural nuance enables her to do so effectively. In her newest short story collection, “White Cat, Black Dog,” Kelly Link draws inspiration from a variety of fairy-tales to create a collection of twisting stories that blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy, past and present, ambiguity and clarity.
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