As a hostage to Pope Julius II in 1511 Rome, 11-year-old Federico is lonely until he receives a visit from a tawny cat, an art
collector from the 20th century, and an 11-year-old kid named Bee from the 21st century.
— Michael Main
All we need is to get Raphael to draw me and make sure he signs it.
DEBUT
Da Vinci’s Cat (Greenwillow Books, May 2021) [print · e-book].
VARIANTS
Debut. Da Vinci’s Cat (Greenwillow Books, May 2021) [print · e-book].
Branch-and-Return Timeline: The book makes an attempt at a causal loop that doesn’t quite mesh. Herbert tells Federico that he bought the wardrobe in Mantua in the shape of a trunk and then remade it into a wardrobe himself. So Federico has the wardrobe remade into a trunk and shipped to Mantua for Federico to find. The problem is that the wardrobe Herbert found was not quite the same one that Federico left for him, because Herbert found a wardrobe containing an unsigned portrait, while in the end, Federico left a wardrobe a signed portrait. This suggests that there are additional timelines that are not part of the Da Vinci Cat narrative; those timelines might result in no causal loops or in a multi-timeline causal loop. Up in the ITTDB Citadel, we spent some time trying to put together a consistent set of timelines that worked in one of those manners, but the possibilities were too numerous to yield a definitive answer. In the end, we decided that some kind of branching timelines are probably involved, but we couldn't say much more than that.
From an unspecified place and time at an unknown time ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Note: It was only a cat, trapped in this fancy carved closet. With a snort of relief, Federico sheathed his knife. It’s unclear whether the kitten came from 1928 or elsewhere. [Chapter 1].
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, 1926. Round trip. Note: The cat steps into the closet as a kitten, quite likely to 1928 where she stays for a two years before returning to Rome a few moments later. [Chapter 1].
From New Jersey, 1928 ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Round trip. Note: Herbert’s first trip. For a man was somehow stepping out of the closet and into the corridor. [Chapters 3].
From New Jersey, 1928 ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Round trip. Note: So when Herbert at last stepped out of the closet, Federico felt not relief or joy, but only irritation. Presumably a round trip, although we don’t see Herbert leave. [Chapter 5].
From New Jersey, 1940 ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Note: The next day for Federico, but 12 years later for Herbert, who returns with an unsigned Raphael sketch of an 11-year-old, who will turn out to be Bee. Herbert had found it in the trunk/closet that he’d bought in 20th-century Mantua. [Chapter 7].
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, 1940. Note: Herbert returns to 1940 in a hurry with a young, dying girl whom he will save and adopt—and with the unsigned portrait still in his bag; neither Herbert, the girl, or the portrait will return again.[Chapter 7] Note: The origin of the unsigned portrait must be from another timeline that we never see, because the subsequent part of this timeline creates only an signed portrait.
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, 1940, or possibly Bee’s time in the 21st century. Note: With a tug of her paw, Juno tugged the door open. He had not latched it properly. No— Federico leaped off the stack. She slipped inside. No— He hurled himself forward, pulling the door wide. She was gone. We presume that the wayward cat has now traveled to Bee’s time, because Miss Bother knows Juno. But maybe she knows her only through Herbert’s descriptions, in which case Juno could have traveled straight to the 21st century. In any case, Juno did eventually get to Bee’s time. [Chapter 8].
From New Jersey, Bee’s time with an unsigned portrait, circa 2021 ⋙ to the closet in Rome, shortly after Juno last left in 1511. Note: Bee starts in the same timeline that Herbert and the young girl returned to, along with the unsigned portrait. The girl has aged into old Miss Bother, and Juno is there, too. When Bee discovers the closet, she travels back to 1511. [Chapter 15].
From New Jersey, Bee’s time with an unsigned portrait, circa 2021 ⋙ to the closet in Rome, right after Bee traveled. Note: A moment after Bee traveled, Juno follows.
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, Bee’s time with no portrait at all!. Note: After failing to get Raphael to draw her portrait, Bee returns to a New Jersey in her own timeline where there is no portrait and both Michelangelo and Federico died early in 1511. This universe has its own Juno, waiting for Bee. [Chapter 24].
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, Bee’s time with no portrait at all!. Note: Federico follows Bee!
From New Jersey, Bee’s time with no portrait at all! ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Note: Federico returns and then pursues Michelangelo, convincing him to return.
From New Jersey, Bee’s time with no portrait at all! ⋙ to the closet in Rome, 1511. Note: Bee returns [Chapter 26] and succeeds in getting Raphael to draw a signed portrait of her [Chapter 28]. Eventually, Federico puts it in the wardrobe, which has been converted to a trunk and will be shipped to Mantua.
From the closet in Rome, 1511 ⋙ to New Jersey, Bee’s time with a signed portrait!. Note: Bee leaves the drawing with Federico and returns to a happy universe where Miss Bother is auctioning off the signed portrait for lotsa money. A version of Juno is also there waiting for her.
INDEXER NOTES (SPOILERS!)
Timelines—The story suggests multiple timelines, some of which—such as a timeline where <a href='tag-4170'>Raphael</a> draws an unsigned portrait—are not part of the narrative.
All we need is to get Raphael to draw me and make sure he signs it.
2 English variants