Book reviewed by Chris J Kenworthy, for Armadillo magazine.
‘Rat’ is a story about a young boy, Al, and his friendship with his two pet rats – Venom and Vulture. After he’s caught inadvertently shoplifting, and his mother arrested and sent back to prison, Al spends much of the novel seeking revenge on the passer-by and neighbour, Mr Brayker, who alerted the security guard.
As Al struggles with his school work, and his only friends are his pet rats, he becomes preoccupied with more elaborate and dangerous methods of revenge, which don’t all go according to plan.
Al often struggles to contain his anger, with vivid imagery of it taking the form of bubbles: “It’s not just small bubbles inside my head now, but a giant bubble and I’m trapped inside it.”
Apart from his anger, Al initially appears to be a rather emotionless character – his lack of joy due to his mother often being in prison, and also having to frequently move home due to poverty.
However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that he links his feelings to things like food. On the topic of roast dinners, Al moans that his Gran used to make them, but: “I was always being told about my manners, so they stopped tasting good.” His bittersweet memories add a poignant tone to the novel, and we begin to sympathise with his plight.
‘Rat’ feels like it’s aimed at children, and is a novel about friendships, family hardships, and bottled-up emotions. It’s written as a first person narrative from Al’s point of view, and deals with many emotions and morals, with a surprise ending.
At the back of the book, there is a section dedicated to the background of the novel, with a word list and a quiz. Therefore, not only is ‘Rat’ an interesting story about coping with different emotions while growing up, but it’s also a book that invites the reader to be retrospective about their own feelings, and how they would cope with life’s problems.
Stowmarket Reporter 