The Tale of One Bad Rat

Told in lovely Beatrix Potter style visuals, this is the tale of young Helen Potter, a runaway from home, living on the streets. As the story progresses, we find out why Helen's run away, and we see her deal with her history and come to terms with her highly dysfunctional family. In parallel, we get snippets of Beatrix Potter's life, another sad tale.

This was powerful stuff, tackling a difficult issue head on, which is highly commendable and definitely gets a good score for me on that alone. When this story was first written, the abuse that Helen had to deal with was often ignored, making the survivors feel completely alone and culpable. It was great seeing Talbot address this directly.

Of course, that was 15 years ago and now it's less show more of an unknown issue, although still shocking. This dated the story slightly for me, and the storyline itself was a bit too straightforward to be a favourite of mine. But I will be searching out more of Talbot's works when I get the chance, he's proven himself a talented artist and story teller with this book. show less

The Tale of One Bat Rat tells the story of Helen, a homeless teenaged girl running away from a past of sexual abuse. Her two passions in life are her pet rat and her collection of Beatrix Potter’s little books, a childhood gift from her aunt. Serendipitous turns in her life find her taking the same path as her hero Beatrix Potter, which helps her to face her past and come to terms with it.

This book is extremely well executed in every aspect. The author clearly spent a lot of time doing research to get every element of the story down accurately, whether it was autobiographical details on Ms. Potter or a realistic confrontation with an abuser. A comic book on sexual abuse may not seem like the most appropriate medium, but it is in fact show more perfectly handled in the hands of Bryan Talbot. It may be a cliché, but the emotions seen in a few illustrated panels are far more effective than a thousand words. The scenes of both London and the Lake District are so grounded in reality that they make you feel as if you are right there next to Helen as she is going through her journey. And while that journey can be dark and depressing at times, its ultimately redemptive turn leaves the reader feeling satisfied. show less

Helen Potter is a homeless runaway teen in England. She's escaped her sexually abusive father and takes refuge with her Beatrix Potter books and sketches. Memory flashbacks haunt her daily. She's taken in by fellow street kids but takes off when one their cats kills her beloved pet rat. She ends up in the countryside of the English Lake District where she's taken in by a kindly couple who run a restaurant. Helen would be content to stay there forever but realizes she must first confront her father.

This was a powerful and moving graphic novel. I had not heard of it before, but Bryan Talbot comes highly recommended and I picked it up based on the high praise I've heard of his other work. The story is about Helen, a girl who runs away from her abusive father and unloving mother and ends up homeless on the streets on London, her only companion being a pet rat. Her dream since she was very young was to be a writer and artist and write stories like her favourite author, Beatrix Potter. After facing various trials and tribulations on the streets of London she decides to hike to the Lake District, a trip that echoes Potter's escape from the confines of her London home to the country, where she was able to flourish both personally and show more artistically.

The story is a powerful and Talbot's portrayal of Helen's damaged character is sensitive as her coming to terms with what was done to her is powerful and inspiring. The artwork is simply extraordinary and really works to connect the reader with Helen's emotional state. The connection with Beatrix Potter and her life worked well for me, even though I have never read anything by her and knew next to nothing about her life. All in all this was an excellent work and recommended to anyone, even those who usually avoid graphic novels. show less

Helen Potter and her pet rat who she rescued from the school lab are runaways. She has an interest in Beatrix Potter who was also named Helen and takes comfort in copying her drawings. She falls in with a friendly lad from Newcastle who lets her live in his squat with his friends. After her rat is killed by a cat she leaves and moves to the Lake District where Beatrix Potter is from.

She can't bear physical touch and during the course of the novel the reason is explained. She is a victim of abuse from a close family member. The book deals with how she deals with what has happened to her as well as the many Beatrix Potter parallels. The drawings are perfect to accompany the story and bring it to life in a way words alone could not.

It is show more at times a difficult novel to read, but it is definitely an important one that I highly recommend. The issue of abuse is not something to brush under the carpet no matter how painful it is and it needs discussing. I really loved this graphic novel and I really appreciated that the ending was not happy ever after and sugar coated, it was far more realistic and true to life. show less

Because I am not a fan of graphic novels, I was surprised to find one that I can enthusiastically recommend. Bryan Talbot’s gorgeously drawn story features Helen, a teen who runs away from home and her father’s abuse. The “Bad Rat” is Helen’s pet that becomes her larger-than-life companion and confidante.

Although the subject of The Tale of One Bad Rat is very disturbing, the author’s treatment of it is surprisingly gentle, yet frank. Once she leaves her home, Helen discovers that she can stand up for herself; I only wish all abuse victims were so fortunate.

I was first attracted to this book by the wonderful landscapes. One Bad Rat is set in England, much of it in some of the most beautiful countryside in the world, the show more Lake District. This is Beatrix Potter country, where her home, Hilltop, is located. Beatrix Potter and some of her characters have a role in Helen’s new world.

Beautiful scenery, believable characters and a compelling story made The Tale of One Bad Rat a graphic novel that I could enjoy and take seriously, like a good novel. show less

Great little story, I liked the art style and the connection to Beatrix Potter, but it did feel a little rushed. The ending especially felt a bit forced and unrealistic; the dialogue in Helen's confrontation with her father felt like it had just been copy-pasted from a psychologist's book on child abuse. Not that I'm an expert, but it seemed to me to be a pretty unrealistic depiction of the way an actual victim of child abuse would talk or act.