Inside Henry Cato

"Katharine English's Inside Henry Cato is an intimate portrait of a man and all his varied layers. Dig into the pages of this brilliant debut, and you won't only discover the truth about Henry; you might just find yourself. A delightful read." - Eli Cranor, bestselling, award-winning author of Ozark Dogs and Broiler

"In her gripping debut novel, Katharine English takes us on a staggering journey over several decades of America through the poignant eyes and (often shattered) heart of Henry Cato. Inviting the reader to literally walk in Henry's shoes, English cinematically captures the five senses in which looking, touching, feeling, smelling, and tasting might never be the same." -Susan Kouguell, Senior Contributing Editor Script Magazine, SUNY Purchase Lecturer

All Henry Cato wants is to belong. But he was born to a woman who saw the world as a series of stains to be scrubbed clean - and Henry as the deepest stain of all. In a root cellar deep below the Kansas topsoil, he does penance for being different, nurturing a secret obsession with shoes he was never meant to wear.

In 1967, with nothing but a sharp eye for detail, a talent for thievery, and a desperate need for belonging, Henry flees to San Francisco. There, Del, a charismatic Texas oil heir, exploits Henry's taboo fascination and catapults him to cult stardom. For the first time, Henry feels seen - but the persona that promises liberation becomes a gilded cage.

When he escapes to the gritty, industrial playground of New York City's Meatpacking District, Henry must navigate predators, fame, and reinvention - and reconcile the boy who still feels like a forgery with the person he is becoming. Or risk losing himself entirely.

Reminiscent of Douglas Stuart, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, Inside Henry Cato is a bold, compassionate exploration of identity, sexuality, and the tactile language of shoes - the story of a survivor learning to stand in the light of an ambiguous world.