Devotion: A Rat Story

by Maile Meloy

Hailed by “The New Yorker” as “a wise and astonishing conjurer of convincing realities,” Maile Meloy is one of our country’s most celebrated short story writers. In her scalp-prickling Byliner Original “Devotion: A Rat Story,” she shows how easily an everyday reality—a young woman’s struggle for an independent life— can become a nightmare, toothy monsters included.

It’s not easy being twenty-something in America, with the economy down and jobs scarce, especially if you’re also a single mother. An art school graduate with a four-year-old daughter, Eleanor is desperate to move out of her parents’ house at last. When a tiny yellow bungalow comes on the market, with a yard and a tree for climbing, it seems perfect for the two of them, and mysteriously affordable. Not until Eleanor enters the house to unpack does she realize she has made a terrible—and terrifying—mistake.

Eleanor hadn’t met the next-door neighbors, and didn’t know what lived there with them—seething through the house, multiplying daily, fat and hungry and spreading out into the neighborhood. When Eleanor tries to confront the onslaught, she is told that these “pets” are not the ones intruding—she is.

An engrossing, exquisitely unsettling tale from an American literary treasure, “Devotion: A Rat Story” will leave you suspicious of your neighbors and fearful of what’s lurking in your backyard, in your living room—or even in your own head.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Adult, Animals, Adult Fiction

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2013

About the author

Maile Meloy is the author of the novels Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter, the story collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It (named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by the New York Times Book Review), and the award-winning Apothecary trilogy for young readers. She has received the PEN/Malamud Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was chosen as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. Her new novel for adults, Do Not Become Alarmed, will be published June 6, 2017.

Reviews

[AdiTurbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid story. The horror element in the story reflects the huge fear of a single mom of spreading her wings and finally becoming independent from her parents. A nice idea. Another nice idea - how what happens to a neighbor reflects what happens when you don't manage to grow up and stand on your own two feet. Kept my interest all the way with its great character formation and great writing.

[Chloe Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen. I bought this because it’s a teeny tiny book with a rat on the cover, sue me.

[Joey Alison Sayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good short story. Great characters, interesting plot. Not entirely sure why it's presented in book form. I mean, I like little curious objects. Frankly it's the reason I picked it up at the library. There was this tiny little book (about 2" x 2.5") with a gold embossed rat on the kelly green cover. Of course I'm going to read this book. And it was an enjoyable experience. But I think I would have preferred it in a collection of other stories of hers, since this was my first exposure to Maile Meloy.

[Kaitlyn Thayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little short story about a rat infestation. Got a nice lil spooky vibe for Halloween time. Fun!

[Dessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who’s been feeding the rats, and what will it take for them to stop? Surprisingly grim, but also lovely, in no small part because it’s a a handsome little hardcover volume in green and pink about three inches by four inches across, with gold foiling for its title and delicate little rat illustration. Given how pretty it was: surprisingly grim, but a good story — just satisfying enough to hide the uncanny undertow.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

And interesting micro-bildungsroman with a not quite surprising (but nevertheless shocking) twist, Devotion is a brief tale with great ambition that creates a complete world (or two complete worlds that clash) in very few pages and in a very tiny format that perfectly match its domestic history feeling. A tale of three generation of women that face social and personal challenges (and fail or manage to overcome them), this story mirrors the changes that women have underwent during the twentieth century and the early years of the 21st century. Rats, of course, have a major role in this story, as a symbol of those challenges (and provide some of the most obvious and gruesome scares in the book). If the book had been longer, Meloy could have explored at greater depth the plot's major undercurrents. Perhaps that's the only major drawback of this book. The outcome may seem predicatble, but the last paragraph literally gives this story an open end for the future.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I don't understand why THIS Maile Meloy story was honored with its own printing, I always appreciate a new story by her. I think if it were in a collection of other stories I would rate it higher. While the story is rather haunting and has stuck with me, I have a mental block against the printing of it as a standalone book.

[Lexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book while shelf reading at work last night and checked it out because it is very small! It's like 4 inches x 3 inches! And I quickly read the first chapter and just wanted to see how it turned out. It's a short story, so not a lot happened from beginning to end. When it ended I felt like there was probably some deeper meaning that I hadn't picked up on haha So ya. It was alright.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took about 18 minutes to read. Didn't really like it.

[Jordi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautifully written, I had to go find more books by the author.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don't have to try to be kind to a narcissistic mother. She won't try to be nice to you.

[Kayleigh Wiebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The rats have an unfeigned devotion that you will never know."

4.5 ⭐️

A single mother, desperate to escape her parents’ basement, jumps at the chance to buy a surprisingly affordable bungalow. But she quickly discovers why the price was so low, with a giant rat as a harbinger of the chaos to follow.

This is a bite-sized read you can finish in under 30 minutes, but its impact lingers. It’s an easy and deceptively simple, accessible in format yet rich with interpretive potential. This book pulls on a bit of the gothic in the most satisfying, dread-inducing ways. Equal parts banal and wild, this one will have you questioning what just read long after you finish.

[Ellyn Lem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confession--this is really a story that came in the form of a book--a tiny little book that was a gift from a friend who knew that I love Maile Meloy as a writer and have had traumatic experiences with rodents! At first, I almost thought this was a Poesque horror piece and in some ways, it could be! But since Meloy is a genius storyteller, she finds a way to put more than just fear into the tale. Not very developed, but the characters do resonate as a single mom with a young daughter trying to be brave when confronted by more than they anticipated. More of a New Yorker piece, but still a fun read with a chilling title.

[Leigh Kaisen]

This teeny tiny book by Maile Meloy is a quirky and subtly creepy read, attention grabbing first in its small format (interesting because it is published singularly as an adult fiction book, in a trim size typically reserved for children’s books or otherwise included as a short story in a collection for adults). The rat symbolism and old house in the story reminded me of a weird creepy movie I saw years ago, but the story is original and intriguing in its own way. Still, I’m curious as to why this was published as its own volume—perhaps the EP form of a book?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over the summer while trying to come to terms with my own anxieties about rats. (City living means I won't likely ever be rid of their lurking presence.) What a horrifying yet satisfying read. Meloy draws a deft parallel between the anxieties of parenting and the anxieties of managing a rat infestation. She paints some vividly tender moments in this tale that make-up for the gruesome parts.

[Jami Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maile Meloy (less famous but no less talented Meloy sibling) always slaughters me with her writing, and this short tale was creepy and scratchy and unsettling-- like a good ghost story. However, her power lies in her psychological insight, and the shortness of the piece didn't let her fully delve into the character's heads-- the ending seemed too clipped, too trite. A contemporary fairy tale with an old-time ending, tied neat.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, on multiple levels. I don't know if the author would approve of the comparison, but it felt like a Stephen King short story without the supernatural element (if that makes any sense). The fact that it's inspired by something that actually happened not that far from me makes it extra special (and by "special", I mean "creepy").

[lethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story was a good start to this year's R.I.P. A quick and easy read, and the book’s small size made it perfect for reading in bed (of course not recommended if you are scared to death of rats and/or they are an actual plague where you live). I do wish it had been a tad longer, it felt a bit rushed towards the end.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok short story to read. I was initially intrigued in buying this in NYC because the small size amused me. I was born in the Year of the Rat, so I figured it would be fitting for me to read this, right?

Suspenseful writing; kept me engaged. The ending resolved too perfectly for me. Would have been better to leave me hanging for more.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well (but quickly) established characters carry this short story. It describes the kind of nightmare all new owners fear: a terrible surprise after making that big purchase. I do wish it was just a bit longer as the ending was so abrupt.

[Abi Inman]

(Not giving it a quantified rating, since it's published by my imprint.)

I promise it didn't take me two whole days to read this beautiful, tiny book - I just forgot to mark it as read yesterday. Creepy, lovely little story, and in such a great format.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, little story with some nice moments in it. As an example, the single mother protagonist bought an "optimistically big" bed for herself when she moves into a new house. Writing in it was good. Another good moment had to do with the title of the story, devotion.

[Linds Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Maile Meloy's other collections, especially "Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It." This story was good but not as good as her other collections.

[Kristin Matte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, read in a sitting. Beautifully designed book cover / charming size.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool, creepy little novella from an awesome author!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting. Amazing that so much can be wrapped up in something so small (technically a short story this was printed as a very small book. It's no bigger than my palm). This one will stay with you.

[Jen Lee-Olmstead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy-quirky short story, masterfully written, save the ending, which felt rushed and unfinished.

[junia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun.

Poignant and strange and I enjoyed this. 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

really good story and writing but i want more!!!

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filed under short stories, that is misleading. This is a short story. Singular. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen just one short story published alone. It’s curious. I was interested in the story because of the rave reviews about the author, and I wasn’t disappointed. This story gives the reader pause. It’s about growing up and taking on responsibility and how daunting that can be and how sometimes you just want to do big people things on your own but when you do you realize it would have been better to ask for help and how asking for that help comes with it a chip on your pride but how community is formed when you do. Phew. Oh. It’s also about how neighbors’ lives can directly affect your own. Having bought condo a few years ago, I can attest to that. Now I want to read more from the author which was the catalyst so that’s a win.