Everyone faces hardships in life. Even animals aren’t exempt from that, feral or domestic. Russell H. Plante brilliantly illustrates this aspect of life in his book A Sense of Purpose. In it, he introduces us to Chester, a cat that gets to experience many things, some good, some not so great, and helps us see the purpose that we all have in our lives, one way or another. We get to experience Chester’s adventure since he was just a little kitten. Without a mother, and having to figure things out by himself, he finds early on a girl that’s willing enough to give him a home and some companionship. From this very moment, he starts learning new things, things that will help him live through many difficult situations, lessons that he ultimately shares with others around him and with ourselves, the readers.

The story is told from Chester’s perspective. Despite being a cat, there’s so much that people can relate to with his life. What Chester goes through are things that we all go through and experience in our lives. Fear, uncertainty, loneliness, but also hope, friendship and love. Both the beauty and the harsh reality of life is presented in detail throughout the book. Chester meets multiple people, makes new friends and adapts to different environments repeatedly. Each situation gives Chester a new perspective through which to see life. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, but it’s not all unavoidable darkness either. The storms that he lives through, both metaphorically and literally, help him gather new knowledge and become more resilient.

Author Russell Plante’s story gives visibility to a prominent issue in both human and animal life: the one of homelessness. Chester experiences this terrible reality early in his life. He loses his mom, gets lost and at one point decides to leave the safe home he already had in an heroic attempt to find and help a friend. The loneliness and helplessness that he gets exposed to because of this is heartbreaking. He makes friends with humans that are also homeless, and realizes that sometimes those who have less are precisely the ones that are ready to give more. The meaning of love, friendship and companionship gains a lot of importance in this story, and is the main thing that allows everything to move forward. Readers will immediately feel compassion for the characters introduced throughout the plot, and will be able to relate and empathize with their struggles.

There are so many things to like about this book. It is an overall sweet and beautiful story that will resonate with everyone that reads it. Love for those around us, humans and animals, are the main things that I leave with after finishing this book. We all have a sense of purpose, and this book will help you understand that more clearly.

Pages: 172 | ASIN: B08KSJWFXN