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A review by cassidy_rain
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“If I could have picked what I was born to be, I would be a fat little rat at a fair. I would ride the Ferris wheel all night. All the carnival lights would reflect in my happy, beady eyes. […] I would get my money’s worth out of my little rat lifespan, and I would leave the earth happy to have been there.”
I was drawn to this book immediately when I saw the cover. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but certainly won’t be my last. We Could Be Rats is a character-driven novel that follows FMC Sigrid, a twenty year old girl who’s extremely lost. The story unfolds in a series of notes (suicide notes), as Sigrid attempts to untangle her final thoughts before she plans to kill herself. Later in the story we get the perspective of her sister, Margit, who always had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with Sigrid growing up.
I think people are either going to love this or hate this; luckily for me I fall more into the love category. The writing style is sooo interesting and really spoke to me. I don’t usually like epistolary format, but I thought this worked so well and does a great job of telling the story. It’s messy, chaotic, rambling, whimsical, and endearing. You feel like you’re right in Sigrid and Margit’s heads. For such interesting and complex characters, I really appreciated the blatant distinction in voice between both girls’ perspectives. It’s a little bit coming-of-age, little bit dealing with all different sorts of grief and childhood trauma, little bit of healing and sister’s finding common ground for the first time in their lives. I absolutely adored Sigrid and was really rooting for her. The most fabulous (and unreliable) narrator.
Definitely check the trigger warnings! But I will say it has an overall light-hearted tone, despite all the heavy topics in here.
“I think it is important to tell people off sometimes, and to do things that make you feel happy- like go swimming.”
Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Austin, and Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I was drawn to this book immediately when I saw the cover. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but certainly won’t be my last. We Could Be Rats is a character-driven novel that follows FMC Sigrid, a twenty year old girl who’s extremely lost. The story unfolds in a series of notes (suicide notes), as Sigrid attempts to untangle her final thoughts before she plans to kill herself. Later in the story we get the perspective of her sister, Margit, who always had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with Sigrid growing up.
I think people are either going to love this or hate this; luckily for me I fall more into the love category. The writing style is sooo interesting and really spoke to me. I don’t usually like epistolary format, but I thought this worked so well and does a great job of telling the story. It’s messy, chaotic, rambling, whimsical, and endearing. You feel like you’re right in Sigrid and Margit’s heads. For such interesting and complex characters, I really appreciated the blatant distinction in voice between both girls’ perspectives. It’s a little bit coming-of-age, little bit dealing with all different sorts of grief and childhood trauma, little bit of healing and sister’s finding common ground for the first time in their lives. I absolutely adored Sigrid and was really rooting for her. The most fabulous (and unreliable) narrator.
Definitely check the trigger warnings! But I will say it has an overall light-hearted tone, despite all the heavy topics in here.
“I think it is important to tell people off sometimes, and to do things that make you feel happy- like go swimming.”
Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Austin, and Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Rape, and Death of parent