For fans of A Man Called Ove and The Travelling Cat Chronicles, a tender, darkly funny novel about the endings we plan and the lives that refuse to let us go.

Chester Finch has a list.

Nine final experiences for a man with nothing left to live for. A glass of vintage Scotch. His late wife’s favorite symphony. One perfect peach. When the list is complete, the reclusive, terminally ill former librarian plans to close his final chapter with dignity, on his own terms.

Louie has other plans. A battle-scarred gray tomcat with one torn ear and no patience for human foolishness, Louie has been watching the thin, sad man in the third-floor apartment. His assessment is simple: Chester is isolated, ailing, and in desperate need of competent supervision.

So Louie moves in. From his pragmatic perspective, Chester’s List of Nine is a faulty blueprint, and Louie has always been good at revision. One stubborn intervention at a time, he begins editing Chester’s carefully planned ending, adding things the old man never thought to include.

Friendship. Purpose. Someone who needs him to stay. But Chester’s time is running out, and some endings cannot be rewritten forever. Then he picks up his pen and adds a tenth item.

The List of Nine (and Louie) is a dual-narrated novel about grief, last chances, unexpected love, and the quiet heroism of staying. It may break your heart. Louie intends to put it back together.

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