I received this book from River Street Writing in exchange for an honest review.
Caitlin Galway’s A Song for Wildcats follows characters from postwar Australia, late 1960s France, the Troubles in Ireland, 1930s New York, and 1980s Nevada who are processing grief, trauma, love, and their place in the world after facing adversity. She’s a talent of a writer, seamlessly moving through time and setting and transporting readers into these characters lives with ease. There is a connected theme of queer relationships, trauma, and a slow understanding of the protagonists to come to terms with what is happening around them. It’s a beautiful and strong collection of stories, one I looked forward to returning to. I can’t wait to read more of Galway’s work!
Read my full thoughts on each story in the collection below:
A Song for Wildcats – 3/5
I struggled to enjoy the titular story as much as the others in the collection. I struggled to believe their was a deeper relationship between Alfie and Felix as implied, but did enjoy Alfie slowly coming to terms with the abuse of his past relationship to better understand his wants going forward.
Heatstroke – 5/5
Easily my favourite of the collection. I loved the strange, Lynchian vibes that came from this story. Fiona was a great protagonist and I loved the odd mystery of it and felt Fiona’s hurt when the revelation came at the end. A look at trauma, memory, and how a person can split themselves to try and understand it all.
The Islanders – 3.5/5
I think I need to understand more about the Troubles and Irish mythology to understand this story better (both things I am interested in learning more about). I enjoyed how Lydia and Jamie orbited around each other, struggling to understand the other while also comprehending their own grief and the tragedies that were happening around them.
The Wisp – 4/5
To me, this story had the same feel of Galway’s novel Bonavere Howl. There was a dark shadow over Tessa’s home (which makes sense since the setting for this story is Tarrytown, where Sleepy Hollow originates), and while the settings are different the similarities of a character trying to piece together what happened to another character was there. Tessa was a great protagonist to follow, I loved her strangeness and how she navigated her past and present self when returning home.
The Lyrebird’s Bell – 4/5
This story felt a bit like Heavenly Creatures. I liked the obsession and care Elizabeth and Annie had for each other and how each of them came to understand their homelife and the limited ways they could change anything at their age.
Publication: June 3 2025
Publisher: Rare Machines
Pages: 240 pages (Paperback)
Source: Owned (Thanks River Street Writing!)
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, LGTBQ*, Canadian
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
In “The Lyrebird’s Bell,” infatuation and violence grow between girls in the enchanting wilderness of post-war Australia, as they escape their families by spinning disturbed fantasies. The title story follows the passionate bond between two young men in the midst of the 1968 French student revolts, while they navigate — and at times resist — the philosophical and emotional nature of love. In “The Islanders,” an orphaned boy and his estranged aunt are thrown suddenly together, on a quiet peninsula, at the height of the Irish Troubles — with their deeply rooted fear and anger attracting the attention of shape-shifting phantoms of war.
Sarah O'Connor 