The cat that Max brings to Gail’s house is a symbol with meaning that shifts over time. Initially, it represents Max’s poor boundaries and his lack of regard for other people. He chooses to begin fostering the animal right before he is due to spend the three days surrounding his daughter’s wedding at her house. Arguably, bringing a new foster animal to a bride-to-be’s home during the hectic time surrounding her wedding is inconsiderate, but Max has not come to this conclusion. When he learns that Kenneth is allergic to cats and that he cannot stay at Debbie’s, he blithely heads to Gail’s, intending to let himself in with her spare key while she is at work. Again, he shows a disregard for other people’s space and feelings: He does not stop to consider the idea that Gail might not want her ex-husband as a house guest or want to host an animal. 

Yet, as the novel progresses, Gail and Max’s relationship undergoes an important shift. Gail becomes more charitable toward Max and finds that she can return the kindness that he shows her. They are both experiencing and have begun to ruminate on the way that aging changes people and impacts

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