All you really need to know is that this novel's two narrators are cats: Soyabean and Tofu. Soyabean comes from some privilege, and Tofu is a dustbin kitten. Both are adopted by a pair of foreigners in Beijing shortly before the 2008 Olympics. It's an allegory, but I didn't entirely follow. It's definitely not pro-capitalism; I got that at least.
"The world's not make for the likes of eh?" he continued. "We're the ones who do all the work but we stay as poor as alley cats, while the fat cat big shots get richer and fatter making fancy stadiums and selling fancy houses."
"Our great leader Deng Xiaoping said it didn't matter if it was a black cat or white cat as long as it caught mice. But he forgot to add that what really matters is whether it's a rich cat or a poor cat. You see there are no ice to catch for the peasant cat at all. The fat cats in the city gobble them all up, leaving nothing for the rest."
Or maybe it's not that complex. Tofu is a working cat hero, and Soyabean has to get over his furry self to save the day. Soyabean is a tom, in other words, "terribly childish."
This is the first print book I've read in 2019. I brought it with me to Milwaukee as a failsafe in case my tablet ran out of juice.