We Could Be Rats

An interesting epistolary experiment, a lot about one sister, her life and the pain of being gay and neither accepted nor understood by her family, but more deeply about the relationship between two sisters, and whether they can ever hope to communicate with and truly understand each other. Does some clever things with narrative and perspective, changing the reader's perception of earlier installments with additional revealed information.

We Could Be Rats is a remarkable read. It's one of those rare books that really does surprise at moments, completely blowing away a reader's assumptions. I don't want to say much more than that because... surprises. Say too much about surprises and they lose their surprisingness. If you like character driven fiction that, yes, surprises—and that puts female characters at the center—you'll want to read this one.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss the opinions are my own.

This novel has a very unique premise. The first two thirds of it are told from the point of view of a young girl's attempts to commit suicide. It is actually done with a lot of humor, The last third deals with a period when she was in the hospital recovering from what seems to be a somewhat successful attempt. She has a troubled relationship with her parents and her sister who couldn't be more unlike her. A unique piece of fiction.

I really enjoyed Emily Austin's first two books, but I could not get into We Could Be Rats. Written a series of suicide notes, there is no plot or ability for character development except from Sigrid's own words as she recalls past events. Austin is a good writer, and she manages to get a lot out of a very tight structure, but it wasn't enough for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Well I finished this and immediately burst into tears lol. This hit home in so many specific and tiny ways, that it really just hit me in the gut. I think this author and I would be friends, and have a lot to talk about. Wow.

Amazing, best yet by Austin. Two sisters and their perspectives of growing up. One is suicidal and one is an anxious wreck. So relatable.

Terrible. Suicide notes can’t be faked.