Several new interviews and reviews have been released in the lead up to the publication of Caleb Carr’s new memoir My Beloved Monster on April 16. Perhaps most revealing was a pre-recorded interview Caleb gave to CBS Saturday Morning, offering in-depth insight into the writing of the memoir and his special relationship with Masha, along with sobering news about the current state of his health. The segment can be viewed below:
In addition, he gave an interview with Scott Simon on NPR about the memoir that you can read the transcript of or listen to here.
The book has also garnered several wonderful reviews. Chris Bohjalian in the Washington Post described the book as a “warm, wrenching love story,” concluding:
Like all good memoirs — and this is an excellent one — “My Beloved Monster” is not always for the faint of heart. Because life is not for the faint of heart. But it is worth the emotional investment, and the tissues you will need by the end, to spend time with a writer and cat duo as extraordinary as Masha and Carr.
Alexandra Jacobs of The New York Times similarly framed the memoir as “loving and lovely, lay-it-all-on-the-line explication of one man’s fierce attachment,” while a Booklist review called it “a love story of the best, most ethereal kind.” Publisher’s Weekly also praised the book as “lively and moving….even readers without their own furry friend will be moved.”
Caleb said in the CBS interview that for the latter years of Masha’s life, he would look at her and say, “Some day, I’m going to make you famous.” With My Beloved Monster currently trending #1 in memoirs and author biographies on Amazon, it certainly looks as though his promise is coming true. I’m sure many of Caleb’s loyal readers will be looking forward to meeting Masha and learning about the bond she and Caleb shared when the memoir is released on Tuesday — and, of course, wish him peace and strength as he fights his current health battle.