Rat Daniels

by Alex Sawyer

An unforgettable coming-of-age story from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction, for those who love Mark Brandi, Favel Parrett and Tim Winton.

I was six, turning seven, and all I really remember is the loneliness, and the lumpy feeling that I was somehow doing everything wrong. And then I met Rat.

Jimmy Quinn is only a boy when he meets Rat Daniels down by the creek. Until that moment, Rat wasn't called Rat, and Jimmy didn't have a best friend. That day at Edens Ridge is the beginning of everything.

Mercurial, wild and rebellious, Rat is thrillingly far from Jimmy's tidy world. But there is a dangerous current in Rat that scares Jimmy sometimes. So do the things that happen in Rat's the yelling, the violence and, most of all, Rat's hatred for a man named Davey Callaghan.

As they get older, Rat slips toward the darker elements of the Ridge. Ziplock bags and wadded-up foil balls - there's money to be made, and Rat has a plan that needs money. For the two friends, allegiances will be stretched and intentions questioned. Some days, Jimmy's not sure if he even likes Rat anymore.

Then a devastating fire on the Callaghan farm forces Jimmy to wrestle with his conscience and his memories. People are dead. The police are investigating. Jimmy will have to decide how far his loyalty will go, and just who his friend really is.

Rat Daniels is a luminous and deeply evocative debut novel from the 2023 Richell Prize winner, Alex Sawyer.

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2026

Reviews

[what.karli.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙰 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑; 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 @atprewett 𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝙰𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙰𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍𝚎/𝙰𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜 - 𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚌.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝; 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 - 𝚜𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝!.

𝙰𝚍𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚋𝚛 𝙽𝙾𝚆𝚆𝚆𝚆𝚆𝚆!

* 𝙵𝚄𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃: 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚋𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙰𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍𝚎 *

𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 ’𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞’ & 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭.

[Saskia Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot overstate how moved I was by the opening chapters of this book. The friendship of these boys was at once charming and desperately tragic. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this.

A deep friendship between two boys over the years, the wedges that come between them, and the terror of never really knowing those that you love most. Could Rat have committed this crime? Could I still love him if he did?

Also worth mentioning how well the Australian setting was woven into the story, some of my favourite passages were how the landscape and the flora was affected by the story - the flood, the fires. Not heavy handed on the Australiana but grounded in an appreciation for it.

“We rode slowly, over dense layers of rotting leaves, past snarls of blackberry and green snakes of bull-oak shrubs. Above them sat popcorn bursts of myrtle wattle and the stern, dark yakkas with their wild hippy hair. And above them, scruffy, peeling pink gums and towering old blue gums. A ladder for fire to climb.

I imagined this forest feeding and sheltering thousands of birds and bugs and animals, everything we could see and everything hidden. I imagined fire roaring through this scrub, boiling and burning, scorching everything to ash and charcoal.”

Really good read, will be recommending!!

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good boy meets bad, unruly, cannot be contained, boy and finds friendship, learns that he can be brave and the glory of a love for a friend he'll remember all his life. This is a book full of sadness, longing and the joy of finding someone unexpected who will push your boundaries and make you braver.
It's a great read, not a perfect read, but a joy to spend time with.

[Bookworm Ezzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started “Rat Daniels” I had no idea that it would stick in my head and take me on my own journey as both Jimmy and Rat went on theirs.
I rarely give a 5 star review but this book deserves every single star and more. The book explores the deep loyalty of childhood friendships, the curse of secrets that come between them and the innocence of children as It begins and as it is taken away.
As someone who grew up in a rural area that was slowly taken over by people, we speak my youth going “backa” and didn’t notice the bast differences between being middle class and outright broke.
My dreams are haunted by memories of my childhood friendships and all that I lost when I had to leave those friendships behind – I made a choice to put my future first and I still, to this day, have no idea if that was the right choice or a test of loyalty that I failed greatly.
I can highly recommend this book to those wishing to delve into their own memories – there are no “bangs and whistles” but this quiet and sometimes angrily written book will stay with you long after you finish the last words.

This review was written by Erin Suzanne Cole on the 11th of June 2026. There was no AI involved and I did not receive payment for this review.

Thank you Good Reading for the advanced reading copy - it was much appreciated!

http://www.goodreadingmagazine.com.au/

[Eva · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

When I got to the end and realised the author is a clin psych, it made sense to me why I enjoyed this book so much. The only drawback for me was the jumping around in time, which I'm never a huge fan of. I got a bit lost (and therefore bored) somewhere in the middle - hence the missing half star. Look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

[Blake Grainger · Rating 5 out of 5]

'What if your soul's not in you? I think we keep it inside other people. In the people we love.'

'Rat Daniels' is a coming of age story and follows two male friends as they grow up. The story brings up the way that male friendship's are viewed by society and the expectation that two male friends cannotshow affection towards one another, unlike stereotypical female friendships.

I am excited to see what is next from Sawyer.

[Aidan Prewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much!!

[Brad Chellas · Rating 4 out of 5]

fair from perfect but felt very nostalgic and rural aussie lit

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crime has been committed, but rather than uncovering the pieces through the eyes of the police or the accused, we see it through the eyes of his childhood best friend. Looking back on his friendship over the course of his life, a strong love and bond grows between the two boys, in a way I haven’t seen explored before through media.
The protagonist takes you through the crucial, formative years of adolescence, pondering whether his friend whom he loves could possibly commit the crime he is accused of, and whether he could still love him if he did.
This book was really special, the characters felt complex yet fragile, human and real. I 1000% recommend!

[Barbara Rohde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a friendship between two boys, Rat Daniel’s and James/Jimmy Quinn who live in the fictional town of Eden’s Ridge in the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east of Adelaide, South Australia. The two boys are from very different classes. Rat has a single mother who is on a methadone program and Jimmy is from a middle class family. Rat goes to a public school; James to a private school, St Luke’s. Nevertheless a close and deep friendship is forged between the boys when they are young and continues through the teenage years.

I really thought this novel just misses the mark in most respects which is difficult for me to say because I really wanted to like it very much. I am, and have lived in the Adelaide Hills where this is set, yet I found the setting to be pretty bland. The Adelaide Hills are very beautiful particularly in the Mount Lofty Ranges where there are many English trees planted yielding spectacular autumn colours. But they are also subject to devastating bushfires in Adelaide’s long and very hot summers. Although fires do come up in the book, they aren’t presented with the depth of destruction that we Adelaidians know only too well.

While we get a reasonable understanding of Rat’s character and home life, I found my understanding of Jimmy was lacking. Jimmy is an elite basketball player at school who even gets an opportunity to apply for American colleges. I find it hard to believe that a kid who is that talented could possibly be so lacking in confidence as Jimmy, and so angry. Sure, adolescence is a turbulent time with confusing and overwhelming emotions and I can see that Jimmy has some family struggles as well, but I can’t see how you can perform consistently well at basketball to the extent that Jimmy does, which takes years of practice and dedication to reach the dizzying heights of being selected by an American scout, and have the kind of self-loathing that Jimmy exhibits. (I might add that I have some experience in this area in that my grandson is one of these basketball players who has gone to Chicago to pursue his basketball dreams.)

Then there is the final denouement of the book which left me unsatisfied and wondering what the author was trying to convey to the readers about the friendship between these two boys because it wasn’t clear to me. Overall I found it a very generic story that could have been set anywhere and had a basic believability problem with the friendship between these two boys boys particularly during the teenage years when their lives took very different trajectories. It presents as being written to satisfy an international audience, particularly an American one, as it uses some American expressions. Which is why I say it seems to just miss the mark on so many levels. It doesn’t have that sensory experience of place that you find in Hannah Kent’s writing, and it doesn’t have the grit and heart of Trent Dalton’s Boy swallows Universe. There are tracts of dialogue that don’t further the narrative or the characterisations. It just doesn’t quite get there, for me, at least.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book.

[Ernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the main character narrating in a seven page, crowded chapter one, this is an Australian story set in the Adelaide Hills with a bushfire, an arson investigator and a police interview. Jimmy is now eighteen so his parents can only dress him and advise him about the interview while the young man worries about his best mate from childhood, Rat the prime suspect. His memories of the two eight year olds playing in the bush cannot avoid Rat saying, ‘I’m going to kill him one day’. After that brief first chapter, the narration moves back to Jimmy’s memories of living in the bush with Rat and sadly, afforded much more freedom than any children today would be given. Did Rat do it? And how much could Jimmy reveal in police interviews without lying?

The character about whom Rat becomes obsessed, Davey Callaghan is a middle aged man, the son of the local landlord living at the top of the hill. Davey is a thoroughly nasty creation who has a sadistic streak towards both the two boys and his girlfriend and all the locals know about his marihuana plantings hidden in the dense bush and the easy trading made, leading to more dangerous drugs, especially at his open air parties.

The story moves along swiftly like a boys own adventure through the early years where Jimmy is fascinated by Rat’s knowledge of and access to bush animals and birds in particular. Rat is shy with Jimmy’s parents and unpredictable in his appearances, giving him a certain mystery that the child Jimmy doesn’t see as the result of child abuse by Davey. The story moves through the boys at different high schools but they were closest at 12, like those in Stephen King’s short story and film, Stand By Me when boys don’t understand love except in the form of loyalty.

For me, the majority of the book was a coming of age test for Jimmy when at 18 he has to decide whether Rat lit the fire or not? Could Rat do that and kill innocent people whom he liked? Has he remained irrepressibly a feral child as an adult? The problem with first person narratives is that character development of the characters is difficult to portray and I was disappointed with the book here as Jimmy’s other coming of age events took away the focus and his choice of a girlfriend from the Callaghan family seemed most unlikely. However, Sawyer’s prose is fluent, engaging and keeps the pace up..

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fictional Edens Ridge, on the outskirts of suburban Adelaide, provides the setting for this coming-of-age novel by Alex Sawyer. Jimmy Quinn is six, turning seven, when he first meets Rat Daniels. Rat, whose real name is Damien, becomes Jimmy’s best friend. The boy come from very different worlds: Jimmy lives with his parents and sisters, Rat lives with his single mother. But when they first meet, the boys have shared ambitions. As they grew older, the differences between the worlds they inhabit become more marked. Jimmy, who attends a private school, aspires to apply for an American basketball scholarship. Rat attends a public school, until he drops out.

There’s a dark side to life on Edens Ridge, and Rat gravitates towards it. He has a plan that requires money, and drug dealing provides a path towards that end. Jimmy, who desperately wants to belong, has more to lose.

Can Rat and Jimmy remain friends when choices take them in different directions? Can a rock-solid friendship forged in childhood survive choices made as young adults? We have Jimmy’s perspective of Rat and of their friendship: I’d have loved to have had Rat’s perspective of both his friendship with Jimmy and the challenges Rat faces as he negotiates a path into adulthood.

I kept reading, keen to see whether their friendship could endure. There’s a fire on a farm owned by the Callaghans: could Rat be responsible? He has had a well-known and long-standing hatred of one of the family. Where was Rat when the fire started?

As the story ended, my focus shifted from whether Rat started the fire, which resulted in the death of two people, to the nature of the friendship
between Rat and Jimmy. And I wondered whether Jimmy would ever gain the self-confidence he needed to be successful.

Life is full of challenges and choices.

This is Mr Sawyer’s debut novel and I enjoyed it.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Michele (michelethebookdragon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aussie debut authors are just so good at the moment.

Rat Daniels can sit proudly in amongst the latest batch of debut books. It is a tender, touching and at times visceral look at growing up, making friends, becoming an adult and making choices.

When Jimmy Quinn is seven years old he meets another kid in his area, Damien Daniels, who he calls Rat. They spend their weekends exploring their surrounds in the Mount Lofty ranges outside Adelaide. They search for animals, ride for hours on their bikes and spend as much time with each other as they can.

Despite their family lives being quite different and going to different schools, these boys are like peas in a pod. They know each other better than anyone else. Or do they?

As they grow up and become teenagers, there are other friends and girls to add to the mix of teen angst and parental expectations. When a deadly fire rips this community apart and Rat is arrested, Jimmy must decide if he believes Rat or what everyone else thinks.

The relationship between these boys was intense and cloying, almost sexual at times. They were so close, but particularly with Rat, there was always something withheld, giving Jimmy his doubts about Rat's innocence.

Told wholly from Jimmy's point of view, the narration changes as Jimmy grows from a kid to a teen, then a young man. To see Jimmy question his memories, his friendships and his place in it all was quite emotional at times.

If you enjoy a coming of age story then this is a book for you.

[Jess Theworddegree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The importance of debut literary prizes cannnot be over stated. Imagine a world without this novel. I will not be suprised if Rat Daniels becomes a book studied in schools, a future Australian classic.
A coming of age story about friendship, loyalty and truth.
While this story is about Rat Daniel:, his impact on the people around him, it’s very much a story of Jimmy.
Jimmy is all of us, he is genuine and confused and deeply human. Rat looms large over Jimmy and the narrative but it is Jimmy’s actions and choices that ground this narrative so deeply in reality.
The entire story is set around the question of whether Rat Daniels is guilty of a crime. We follow Jimmy as he revisits his memories of Rat. Meeting him, their enduring friendship, the people they met and some really awful experiences they both shared. There are a lot of triggers in this book.

Ultimately I cannot believe I submitted my pathetic entry to the Richell Prize the year this won 🤣 I extend an apology to the judges, if I had been aware of the caliber of the other entries, I would never have subjected you to my soggy attempt at a book.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy of this book!

[Tessa Kinsela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books I’m still trying to work out how I feel about. It often feels like everything is happening and nothing is happening at the same time, which is oddly familiar and strangely comforting. Despite that, I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know where it was all leading.

The real strength of the book is its characters. They’re beautifully crafted, to the point where you feel like you know them better than you know yourself. Running quietly beneath the story is the familiar contrast between the boy destined to leave and achieve great things, and the one expected to stay in a small town, forever trying to outrun trouble. It’s a dynamic that feels authentic and deeply recognisable.

I did find myself wanting a more concrete answer to the book’s central question, but by the end I realised that wasn’t really the point. The resolution between the two main characters was beautifully handled, and while it didn’t answer everything, it left me feeling unexpectedly content.

[Rebecca Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when an Australian coming of age novel brings something new to the genre, and Rat Daniels was a great example of a YA novel done really well.

It brings together a crew of teenagers finding their way in Eden Ridges ridge. When Jimmy and Rat meet by the creek neither could have known that their lives were going to change in ways they couldn't have ever imagined.

While Jimmy becomes a star basketball player at his private school, Rat falls between the cracks of an addict mother and her revolving door of boyfriends. But what Rat can't let go of is the death of his father and he spends his time imagining revenge on the man he believes responsible for his death - Davey Callaghan.

When a fire breaks out on the Callaghan estate, everything Jimmy thought was real and fundamental is threatened. Could Rat really be responsible for killing someone?

A wonderful read. Really well written. Characters were engaging and 'real'.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, solid coming of age crime debut from an Australian author which vividly outlines the pressures of boyhood and childhood (amidst growing up amongst two very different family dynamics) and the eventual shift into adulthood.
The story is set in the heart of Adelaide within the hills and describes the friendship between Jimmy and Rat Daniels (also known as Damien) their transition from school friends to adults leading up to Rat's run in with the law after an arson incident as well as their various girlfriends over the years to the present day.
The aftermath of the arson and the police investigation is written very well and makes for an immersive read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story (flying through it in two sittings) and I look forward to reading more books by this author down the track.
A huge thankyou to Netgalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for an arc of this memorable and thought provoking story.

[Fi Shep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just pushing 3 stars ⭐️

Maybe going in with high expectations was where I went wrong, but I came away from this one feeling a little flat.

The character development was slow and at times laborious, and I found myself skimming pages more than once just to get things moving. There is no shortage of content here, and honestly most of my stars go to the ambition of the storyline and the clear thought that went into planning it. But ambition and execution are two different things, and for me this one pulled in too many directions. By the end, so many of those story arcs had simply fizzled out, and I’m still sitting here wondering what happened to half of them.

I went in hoping for something in the spirit of Demon Copperhead, that same grit and depth and emotional punch. This didn’t get close to that for me, which made the disappointment harder to shake. A generous 3 stars, because the bones of something great are in there somewhere.

[Malvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story as two boys grow up together: Rat Daniels and Jimmy/James Quinn. Set in the fictional Eden's Ridge in the Adelaide hills. Rat comes from a different world than Jimmy. His mother is vulnerable, he struggles at school, there's never enough money. Yet Rat is at home in the bush and with wild creatures. Almost a wild creature himself. Jimmy has a private school education and a basketball scholarship. By rights their intense childhood friendship should have petered out naturally as they hit their teens. And yet, these boys know each other, and can read each other at a glance. Their souls are attuned. So when something terrible happens, how do they get through? I liked the element of doubt in this book, and the insight into the internal struggle Jimmy's having about Rat, and himself, actually. It all made quite an impact.

[Wendy Beech · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time spent with Jimmy and Rat. The setting was beautifully Australian (set just outside Adelaide). We meet Jimmy and Rat when they are just 8 and forming the bond that takes them into their adult lives. This early part of the book as kids felt so visceral to me, the writing was so good and so full of heart. As it went on, I lost a sense of the boys as they got older. Their bond was still there but they didn’t seem as full or believable as they did as kids.

The story flashes between present day when the boys are 18 and the past when they are teens. I found the story got a little lost and I wasn’t sure what it was trying to be by the end but I was still really invested in these characters and thought it was beautifully written.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC of this book!

[tinkingaboutbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rat Daniels is a gritty coming of age story about Jimmy, a private school outcast, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Rat, a delinquent from the wrong side of town.

I found the beginning a bit of a slow burn and nearly put it down, however once I got to the half way point the momentum shifted, and the storyline drew me in. The ending has left me with many questions, over Davey’s true intent, and whether Rat took the blame for the fatal fire, but was actually innocent.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for my copy of the book.

[Tiffanie Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book but it fell flat. I really hated been inside Jimmy’s head for the whole book. Rat I could understand as a character, but Jimmy lacked the character growth and development that a good coming of age story deserves. So much potential in the bones of this story that kept me reading but sadly I didn’t enjoy it very much.

[NATALIE CROSS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt pretty real !

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook

This is a coming of age story, if you don't tend to like those then listening to this book won't change that. I wish I hadn't.

[Sue Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Anna Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sensational debut. The characters are deeply Australian, and so well rounded, you will fall in love with them immediately.

[cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

far out man, so promising as a concept and yet such a let down :(

[Sum · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎧 I actually think this was a really great book, I just wasn’t in the mood for it right now. I can’t fault anything at all but I found myself just wanting it to be over already :(

[Wendy · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Great writing and an interesting story.

[Martin · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This was an impressive debut.
A coming of age story between two very different young men and the friendship that develops.
Competent writing generated an engrossing book.
Await AS's next book.