The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a perfect read for right now. By that I mean, cancel your plans (it’s January, who really has any?), cosy up and get ready to stay in until you’ve read this whole book. The Three Lives of Cate Kay blends emotional drama with a fast-paced plot dripping in intrigue, has a smattering of showbiz glamour and characters you care about. A winning combination.
Opening sentence: About a year ago, a FedEx package landed on the porch of my home in Charleston.
Who is Cate Kay?
Yes, who is Cate Kay is the central theme in this book. We, the reader, know Cate Kay is also Cass Ford, who was once called Annie, who was born Anne Marie. But only a few characters in the novel know this too, for a few reasons.
Let’s call our lead character Annie for simplicity here – Annie and her best friend Amanda grew up just outside New York and longed to be Hollywood actresses, they had dreams once they left school to try and make it there.
However, a tragic incident means this is not how things transpire and a lot of crossed wires and secrets mean it is years before the truth of what actually happened comes to light.
My mind’s long been divided on the question of goodness – and now here you are, the deciding vote.
Annie’s actions at a pivotal moment are questionable – and that’s what makes her so interesting. She sheds the skin of Annie to become ‘Cass’ and then again when she writes her highly biographical dystopian fiction as Cate Kay, that becomes a worldwide bestseller. Her life is transformed, the elevated life she has always dreamed of is now hers. But, due to her shifting identity, she makes sure no-one knows who Cate Kay is. The anonymity of the author adding to the intrigue of the book.
As we follow Annie through her life, she navigates a relationships with both a film star, Ryan and with Sidney, a less glam lawyer, but she never forgets her first love, Amanda.
I really enjoyed how how each version of Annie is explored, through her relationships and growth. She is always striving for more and makes some huge mistakes due to her determination. But, as it always seems to do, the truth will eventually come bubbling to the surface…
What I craved was cosmic bigness.
The pitch for this book says its similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid in terms of structure and plot similarities, it also has the same highly-readable tone. There are book-within-a-book sections that cover snippets of Cate’s dystopian novel, they reminded me a little of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
Selected as the January 2025 pick for Reese’s Book Club – expect to see The Three Lives of Cate Kay everywhere, for good reason.
