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literarycrushes's review against another edition
4.0
Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman is an essential yet underrated novel in the LGBT+ literature canon. First published in 1995, it tells the story of three characters living in New York City during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Rita Mae is a rat exterminator employed by the city who grew up in Jackson Heights but was kicked out of the house after her father discovered her in bed with another girl at 16. Killer is a good-natured, perpetually broke lesbian who falls in love seemingly every other week, relying on the kindness of others to get by. David is a thirty-five-year-old HIV-positive man who knows his end is near but is sick and tired of talking about it.
I love a good New York novel, but so many authors have the tendency to romanticize the city or shed a false light on its margins, its grime, and grit. Schulman writes about the city like maybe only a native New Yorker can. She loves it because it’s home because it accepted her when no one else would (“Take me and Killer, for example. We are most comfortable living in neighborhoods where there are so many people walking around who would be locked up in institutions if they lived anywhere else.”), but she also kind of hates it because every corner feels a little bit haunted. Learning about pieces of NYC LGBT+ history was also a lot of fun (a gay male bar called Meat that has a lesbian night called Clit Club? Incredible.), and even the nuanced discussion surrounding AIDS from the perspective of a lesbian was something I don’t think I’ve encountered before in a novel.
I love a good New York novel, but so many authors have the tendency to romanticize the city or shed a false light on its margins, its grime, and grit. Schulman writes about the city like maybe only a native New Yorker can. She loves it because it’s home because it accepted her when no one else would (“Take me and Killer, for example. We are most comfortable living in neighborhoods where there are so many people walking around who would be locked up in institutions if they lived anywhere else.”), but she also kind of hates it because every corner feels a little bit haunted. Learning about pieces of NYC LGBT+ history was also a lot of fun (a gay male bar called Meat that has a lesbian night called Clit Club? Incredible.), and even the nuanced discussion surrounding AIDS from the perspective of a lesbian was something I don’t think I’ve encountered before in a novel.
raulbime's review against another edition
4.0
A story revolving around three queer characters and their community. Rita is a rat exterminator working for the city of New York, Killer is her unemployed friend, as well as David, their friend who is a writer. This book is split in parts where these friends' stories are each explored, meshing and splitting to merge again in a wonderful tale.
Schulman writes of relationships queer people have with their families. The disappointment and betrayal one feels when cast out by their loved ones because of their sexual orientation and the yearning for a love and understanding that is deserved but withheld and the inner conflict caused by this.
The characters are hard to like, they do come across as annoying and their sarcasm is quite clearly their way to cope but Schulman has created such solid characters with weaknesses, desires, dreams and friendships.
I also enjoyed the question relationships in this book. The friendships and companionship. A kinship fostered by mutual acceptance, support and love. This story is very much told during the AIDS crisis and thus is incredibly sad as should be expected. The activism and community development touched upon was inspiring. A wonderful wonderful read and a fantastic introduction to a great writer.
Schulman writes of relationships queer people have with their families. The disappointment and betrayal one feels when cast out by their loved ones because of their sexual orientation and the yearning for a love and understanding that is deserved but withheld and the inner conflict caused by this.
The characters are hard to like, they do come across as annoying and their sarcasm is quite clearly their way to cope but Schulman has created such solid characters with weaknesses, desires, dreams and friendships.
I also enjoyed the question relationships in this book. The friendships and companionship. A kinship fostered by mutual acceptance, support and love. This story is very much told during the AIDS crisis and thus is incredibly sad as should be expected. The activism and community development touched upon was inspiring. A wonderful wonderful read and a fantastic introduction to a great writer.
m_scrimshaw's review
4.5
Read for 50 States Challenge - New York
I admittedly hadn't read any Schulman before, but Rat Bohemia fulfilled a few of my challenge prompts and fit nicely into my desire to read more "historical" queer lit (is a book published in the '90s historical at this point? God, I feel old). This is such an important book for us queers who are too young to remember the worst days of the AIDS crisis. The palpable of the despair, everyday tragedy, cruel indifference, and community strength is a vital part of our history that we can't forget.
I admittedly hadn't read any Schulman before, but Rat Bohemia fulfilled a few of my challenge prompts and fit nicely into my desire to read more "historical" queer lit (is a book published in the '90s historical at this point? God, I feel old). This is such an important book for us queers who are too young to remember the worst days of the AIDS crisis. The palpable of the despair, everyday tragedy, cruel indifference, and community strength is a vital part of our history that we can't forget.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Death
Moderate: Excrement
micki138's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
7danut7's review against another edition
"And for that moment, like a thousand moments before, I suddenly flashed, foolishly, that my dream would come true. I flashed that my father and mother would come with me to visit Gino and would ask him how he felt. They would ask me questions about myself too. They would come to a gay play and read a gay book and call me up in the morning when there was something vile on the television because they have a gay child. And no one is going to hurt their gay child as long as they still have air in their lungs. Because they love their gay son and all parents must love their gay children. They must not treat us like this."
"What does a fifty-five-year-old gay man look like? A handsome one I mean. I look around the clubs at all those guys I’ve never met and know I won’t be there to say, Remember when. I won’t be there to say, Didn’t you used to go to Sound Factory about fifteen years ago? I won’t be around to finally fall in love."
"The thing is that now the guy is getting old. Really old. I’m used to death and I think about it casually, so I have no trouble knowing that my father will die. My problem is that as long as he is still alive, he has the second chance to change the way he views me. So every time he refuses, I’m devastated. Because I don’t want my father to die with me knowing that he had that chance every day and never took it. How will I be able to live with that for the rest of my life? At least while he’s alive I can hope that he will, someday, try.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I ever got a chance to know him. I have a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t take very long to find out what he was really like. Probably just three or four visits. But it’s the not being sure that keeps me crazy. The vague possibility that he might be able to come through fills me, daily, with rage."
"What does a fifty-five-year-old gay man look like? A handsome one I mean. I look around the clubs at all those guys I’ve never met and know I won’t be there to say, Remember when. I won’t be there to say, Didn’t you used to go to Sound Factory about fifteen years ago? I won’t be around to finally fall in love."
"The thing is that now the guy is getting old. Really old. I’m used to death and I think about it casually, so I have no trouble knowing that my father will die. My problem is that as long as he is still alive, he has the second chance to change the way he views me. So every time he refuses, I’m devastated. Because I don’t want my father to die with me knowing that he had that chance every day and never took it. How will I be able to live with that for the rest of my life? At least while he’s alive I can hope that he will, someday, try.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I ever got a chance to know him. I have a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t take very long to find out what he was really like. Probably just three or four visits. But it’s the not being sure that keeps me crazy. The vague possibility that he might be able to come through fills me, daily, with rage."
gingher77's review
dark
funny
informative
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kvanetten89's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
noturstroganoff's review against another edition
4.0
New York Michelle Tea??? I offer all my gratitude and respect up to S.S. for this treasure for the Archive. Never before has a preface destroyed me with its grief !? First the cities killed the villages and now the cities are being cannibalized… source is like idk the first ten pages of the Communist Manifesto…crying emoji. If I ever see this book in a used book store I will fall to my knees.
manaledi's review against another edition
4.0
This book addressed difficult topics around difficult relationships as if they were normal, which is the most powerful way to do so.
gunstreet's review against another edition
3.0
I felt a bit removed from this novel— being a queer person whose family was always supportive, and being too young to have had friends who were affected by the AIDS epidemic— but these characters serve as a heartbreaking reminder of how universal their experiences were, not so very long ago.