Matthew Flinders' Cat is the story of a drunk, a boy, and a cat—woven into one of Bryce Courtenay’s most thoughtful and touching novels.
Once a successful barrister, Billy O’Shannessy now sleeps rough outside the State Library in Sydney, overlooked by the bronze statue of Matthew Flinders’ cat, Trim. When he meets Ryan, a bright but troubled 10-year-old on the edge of falling through the cracks, the two strike up an unlikely friendship.
Billy draws Ryan in with tales of Australia’s circumnavigation, told through the eyes of the legendary ship’s cat. But their connection becomes more than just stories—as they both begin a mutual process of redemption that touches on the criminal underworld, political corruption, and the human cost of a city that too easily forgets its vulnerable.
This novel blends modern-day urban hardship with glimpses of colonial history, told in Courtenay’s signature heartfelt and unflinching style.
