James Kirkwood’s P.S. Your Cat Is Dead is a weird, jagged pill of a book. It’s 1972. New York City is a crumbling, dangerous, sweaty mess, and Jimmy Zoole is having the worst New Year's Eve in human history. Honestly, if you think your week is going poorly, Jimmy’s got you beat. His girlfriend dumps him. He loses his acting job. His cat dies. Then, to top it all off, he catches a burglar in his loft for the second time in a month.
Most people would call the cops. Jimmy? He ties the guy up.
This isn't your standard thriller. It's a pitch-black comedy about a man at the absolute end of his rope who decides to take his frustrations out on the only person available: a handsome, bisexual burglar named Vito. It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. It’s also one of the most honest depictions of urban nervous breakdowns ever written.
The Absolute Chaos of the Plot
You've gotta understand the vibe of the early 70s to get why this book worked. The world felt like it was falling apart, and Kirkwood captured that "nothing left to lose" energy perfectly. Jimmy Zoole is a failed actor. He’s narcissistic, grieving, and incredibly witty in that way only a truly miserable person can be. When he finds Vito under his bed, something snaps.
The book spends a massive amount of time in that one apartment. It’s claustrophobic. You’re trapped there with a guy who might be losing his mind and a guy tied to a kitchen counter. The dialogue is fast. It’s sharp. Kirkwood was a playwright—he co-wrote A Chorus Line, for god’s sake—so he knew how to make two people talking in a room feel like a high-stakes war.
What starts as a revenge fantasy morphs into a bizarre, trauma-bonded friendship. It sounds crazy because it is. They talk about life, sex, New York, and the sheer absurdity of existing. It’s a "buddy movie" where one buddy is a captive.
Why P.S. Your Cat Is Dead Still Matters
Is it dated? Sure. Some of the language and the specific 70s neuroses feel like a time capsule. But the core of it—the feeling of being utterly defeated by the world—is timeless. People still find P.S. Your Cat Is Dead because it speaks to that primal urge to just stop playing by the rules when the rules have screwed you over.
Kirkwood wasn't interested in making Jimmy a hero. Jimmy is kind of a jerk. He’s selfish. He’s erratic. But he’s real. In a sea of modern "relatable" protagonists who are polished and sanitized, Jimmy Zoole is a refreshing disaster. He represents the "inner lizard brain" that wants to scream at the universe.
The book also broke ground in how it handled sexuality. It’s casual about it. Vito’s bisexuality isn't some huge "reveal" or a moral failing; it’s just part of who he is. In 1972, that was actually pretty radical, even if it feels standard now.
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The Transition to Stage and Screen
Kirkwood eventually adapted the book into a play. It’s a natural fit. One set, two main actors, heavy dialogue. It ran on Broadway and has been a staple of community theaters for decades because actors love the roles. They’re meaty.
Then came the movie.
Steve Guttenberg directed and starred in the 2002 film version. If you’re a fan of the book, the movie is... divisive. It moved the setting to Los Angeles, which immediately changed the "grimy NYC" soul of the story. Some people love the slapstick elements Guttenberg leaned into, while purists felt it lost the dark, cynical edge that made the novel a cult classic.
If you want the real experience, read the book first. The prose has a rhythm that film struggles to capture. Kirkwood’s voice is the star of the show.
Misconceptions and the Title
Let’s talk about the title. It’s brutal. It’s probably the best "bad news" title in literary history. People often think the book is a mystery or a horror story because of it. It isn't. The cat’s death is the catalyst—the final straw that breaks the protagonist’s psyche. It’s the "P.S." at the end of a long list of failures.
Another common mistake is thinking this is a lighthearted comedy. It gets tagged as "humor," but it’s the kind of humor that comes from a place of genuine pain. If you go in expecting a cozy read, you’re going to be shocked when Jimmy starts getting genuinely sadistic with his prisoner.
It’s a psychological study. It’s about the thin line between a civilized citizen and a guy who has decided he’s done with civilization.
James Kirkwood’s Legacy
Kirkwood lived a life that was just as dramatic as his fiction. His parents were silent film stars. He won a Pulitzer for A Chorus Line. He was a fixture in the New York arts scene. You can feel that lived-in, cynical, "I’ve seen it all" perspective in every page of P.S. Your Cat Is Dead.
He didn't write for "the masses" in a corporate sense. He wrote for the outsiders. The people who felt like they were watching the world from the sidelines. That’s why the book has such a dedicated cult following. It’s not a book for everyone, and it doesn't try to be.
How to Approach the Book Today
If you’re picking this up for the first time, don't expect a modern PC narrative. It’s raw. It’s a product of the 1970s. But if you can get past the vintage slang and the specific era-based references, you’ll find a story that is surprisingly poignant.
- Look for the 1972 hardcover or the early paperbacks. The cover art from that era perfectly captures the manic energy of the story.
- Pay attention to the pacing. Notice how Kirkwood ramps up the tension not through action, but through psychological shifts.
- Compare it to the play. If you’re a theater nerd, reading the script alongside the novel is a masterclass in adaptation. You can see what Kirkwood chose to tighten and what he let breathe.
The book reminds us that sometimes, the only way to deal with a world that makes no sense is to be a little bit nonsensical yourself. It’s a wild ride. It’s mean, it’s funny, and it’s heartbreaking.
Next Steps for Readers
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To get the most out of your dive into Kirkwood's world, start by hunting down a physical copy of the novel—the digital versions often lose some of the grit of the original formatting. After finishing the book, seek out the 1975 play script to see how the story was condensed for the stage. Finally, if you're curious about the author's range, look into his non-fiction work or the history of A Chorus Line to see how his flair for dialogue translated into one of the biggest hits in Broadway history. This will give you a full picture of why Kirkwood’s voice was so vital to the 20th-century American landscape.