As I began "Cat and Mouse" I was reminded how gifted a writer Gunter Grass is. As he weaved his folksy way around a story about a character from his youth, I realized a sincere tribute was beginning to unfold. Grass's tales of misspent and well-spent youth gives a mixture of laughter and admiration. There is an element of religion that is key to the understanding of the narrator and the main character. We see faith represented with words of ridicule, respect, and devotion. The way the narrator dismisses his own metamorphisis of faith is essentially an impressive way of focussing on the hero of his story: Let me preach another time, this is about Joachim.



It's interesting the way that we only get to know Joachim Mahlke through the narratror's eyes. Whatever secrets the narrator fails to uncover or understand, we miss as well. The way this mildly mysterious yet quite humorous short novel leads us through a part of a young man's life teases us in a way that keeps us interested. The ending may not be what we want but it's what we get and we realize it is why Grass wanted us to hear the story.