When We Are Cats

• Other Authors: Candela Baptiste, Maria Jose (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2016SU_CandelaBaptiste_fsu_0071N_13283

The novel focuses on the story of a group of fifteen year olds living in the same hallway at a prestigious, international, all-girls, catholic boarding school in Geneva the spring Azeneth, a new student, arrives. The story is told from the point of view of Laura, focusing on her friendship with Azeneth, one riddled with hesitance and admiration. Each girl in the group is of a different nationality, but they all share a similarly privileged background. When Azeneth arrives to the school, she exposes Laura and the other girls to different ways of approaching their sexuality and questioning their self-perception and the nature of truth. All the girls participate in this revolution of sorts and add to it in different ways, but Azeneth is the catalyst for this. Laura is fascinated by Azeneth and at the same time feels a deep reluctance towards her. Paradoxically, it’s partly in response to her reluctance that Azeneth ultimately chooses her as her main ally at the school. A Scherezade of sorts, Azeneth gains power and popularity among the girls by telling them stories every night, which she claims are from her past as well as through her outrageous activities at the school. The girl’s fascination with Azeneth lead her to more and more reckless activities at the school to entertain them and keep them from telling on her. In a parallel way, the other girls begin experimenting more and more with their sexuality. This escalates exponentially until the past Az has conjured so fervently in her stories pays them a visit that results in a murder and a death that will always haunt Laura. The novel is structured as a series of 12 chapters, and is told in first person and past-tense. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. === Spring Semester 2016. === April 8, 2016. === Fiction === Includes bibliographical references. === Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Professor Directing Thesis; Ned Stuckey-French, Committee Member; Virgil Suarez, Committee Member.