The Year of the Rat – Book Review
Clare Furniss
YA Contemporary
Synopsis:
Grappling
with grief is hard enough without repeat visits from the deceased. Pearl deals
with death, life and family in this haunting, humorous and poignant debut.
The
world can tip at any moment… a fact that fifteen year old Pearl is all too
aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister, Rose.
Rose,
who looks exactly like a baby rat, all pink and wrinkled and writhing. This
little rat has destroyed everything, even ruined the wonderful relationship
Pearl had with her stepfather, the Rat’s biological father.
Mum,
though… mum’s dead but she can’t seem to leave. She keeps visiting Pearl,
smoking, cursing, guiding…
Told
across the year following her mother’s death, Pearl’s story is full of
bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that
cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her
mother, but also the fact the her sister – The Rat – is a constant reminder of
why her mum is no longer around.
Review:
The year of the Rat is a deeply moving book that
will definitely tug at the heart strings. And while I’m not generally a fan of contemporary
reads, I had heard that this book was quite the emotional rollercoaster, and
despite my reluctance for the genre, my curiosity eventually got the best of
me. However while I didn’t exactly fall in love with the story, the book really
did pack a huge punch that caused me to shed more than a few tears.
The story follows the life of fifteen year old
Pearl. Opening on the day of her mother’s funeral, the reader is immediately
informed of the close bond Pearl shared with her mother, and Pearl’s bitterness
towards her newborn sister, Rose, aka ‘The Rat’ of whom she blames for her mother’s
death.
Spanning the space of a year, the book takes you on
Pearl’s journey through each stage of her grief. The denial, the guilt, the
misplaced blame and of course, that anger than comes with a sudden loss. Yet
what I found most interesting was the sporadic appearances of Pearl’s mother in
ghost form. For me it was these beyond the grave conversations that helped make
this story special.
As a main character Pearl is really complex. In the
beginning her emotions are very raw but as the story is told in first person, it’s
easy to relate to her mood swings and understand her perspective.
Yet watching Pearl’s slow acceptance of ‘The Rat’
also kept me turning the pages. While at times, I found Pearl’s actions
horrifying, they were undeniably human and my heart would bleed for her with
each new wall she would throw up between her and the world. So while by no
means a happy story, ‘The Year of the Rat’ is without doubt one of depth and
feeling.
What most drove me to keep reading the book though
was its blatant honesty towards family life. Every family is special; whether
that family is connected by blood, friendship or marriage. And as most parents
keep some truths hidden from their children, this book shows how such things
can lead to the children misunderstanding and making bad decisions, such was
the case with Pearl.
Furthermore this book also explores the darker
element of women who don’t initially bond with their children. Yet I also liked
how these symptoms echoed in Pearl, especially when she accepts that her
feelings of rejection and hate towards ‘the rat’ are abnormal. Nonetheless, she
can’t help but blame her mother’s death on her innocent sister.
As the story goes on, Pearl isolates herself more
and more. Losing interest in her old life, she cuts herself off from her
friends, skips school and begins to turn to alcohol to deal with her problems.
All in all, it is a crazy year of ups and downs for Pearl that have a
significant impact on the adult she is turning into. This book, especially for
a debut novel, is a truly powerful read.
Overall, a gripping and beautifully written story
that captures a young girl’s grief and tragedy. ‘The Year of the Rat’ will take
you on a heartfelt journey that will teach you to let go of the past, cope with
loss and remind you to keep on living. Truly spectacular! 4 Stars!
