A review by sidewriter
Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh

3.0

This book is fascinating. It’s also disjointed and occasionally boring, but it’s worth it because it feels like an authentic glimpse into an artist’s mind and a true representation of the simultaneity of mental illness and mental brilliance. The rules don’t apply here; Hersh plays with narrative form, genre, memoir, fiction, and everything your writing teacher ever told you to do or not to do. The prose is interspersed with song lyrics and has a raw, stream-of-consciousness feel to it that might be off-putting, but is probably the only way to represent the untidiness of art and mental health. Added feminist bonus: you also get to see an untidy pregnancy story that demonstrates why we can and must trust pregnant women to make their own decisions.