Mio marito e altri ratti

by Shelley Klein, Marta Barone

Il primo ratto della vita di Alison, scrittrice di modesto successo e di mezza età serenamente sposata con Elliott, è proprio Elliott, che la abbandona per una ventenne da cui aspetta un bambino. Il secondo ratto invece è vero e ha deciso di vivere a casa di Alison, aggiungendosi ai suoi problemi: la madre sempre più svaporata, il suddetto marito traditore e una malattia appena scoperta, da affrontare senza indugi. Intanto il ratto è stato ufficialmente adottato da Alison e dal giovane derattizzatore che lei ha assoldato; in giardino si materializza uno spettro straccione che in realtà è Clelia, la figlia che Elliot non sapeva di avere; e nuove alleanze inducono la protagonista a continuare a credere nelle sorprese della vita, per bizzarre che possano sembrare.

Una commedia pungente e consolatoria, mai rosea però molto colorata, che parla di amore, amicizia, vecchiaia, maternità, depressione, libri, il tutto a partire da un'oppugnabile verità: se gli umani possono essere ratti è anche vero che certi ratti possono rivelarsi straordinariamente umani.

Genres: Fiction

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2026

Reviews

[Rocelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️ Comparing this man to rats is a grave insult to rats.

[Valentina Veltkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Katie]

Recommended by “Receipts from the bookshop” for lovers of Nina Kibbe and Catherine Newman

[Georgia Macri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would make a great movie. A very funny romcom in a book.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected 5 star read. - in the sense that I had never heard of this book before and bought it on a whim.

This book grabbed me from the title and when I read the back of it in the bookshop I was instantly laughing.

It covers a lot of serious topics but has a lot of humour woven into it which helps balance it out

[Nicole Halley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt I had to finish this book because I paid almost $40 for it but really struggled. Felt quite repetitive and didn’t feel like it moved much in the story. I thought the protagonist had too much self pity.

[Lucy Skeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Fab fab fab!! Thanks so much to W&N for my copy

[Alessia Veltkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Damla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good (beach 🏖️) read! The main protagonist, Alison, was going through a lot: a cheating husband, not being able to become a mother, a mother with dementia, and, above all, dealing with cancer herself. Despite all these setbacks, she remained humorous and optimistic. I really appreciated her outlook on life.

Favourite passage:

“Even when you’re prepared for someone’s death, it always comes as a shock. Did that really just happen? Surely this can’t be for real? But death is the most real thing ever to happen. That’s why it’s so hard to believe”

[Anna]

DNF 133.

I was initially intrigued by the humour in the writing but over time lost interest in the protagonist and her story of woe. As a happily married woman in her early 40's I figure this one just isn't for me.

[Tyralle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Thank you to JBP for this book mail!

This is an interesting one. Interesting cover, interesting title, interesting Blurb. I'm actually shocked that I finished it so fast. Less than 3 days, wow. I've never read a book with this genre before, however, now I'm really intrigued. My husband and other rats made me look at life in another perspective. We all complain so much about different things, and here you get our FMC, who's been dealt with a terrible hand all at once. Calling her husband a rat is such an injustice to that species because what do you mean...and Franny, oh my god.

Overall, this is a really good book which made me laugh and want to cry and also made me look at life in a bit of a different way. Definitely an unforgettable read for various reasons.

[Morgan Holdsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

mrs dalloway if clarissa had jokes and bridget jones diary if bridget had real problems to complain about.

this was surprisingly equal parts hilarious and heartwarming and i was sad to turn the page and see acknowledgements instead of another chapter. looking forward to seeing what klein comes out with next!

[Liz Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was good in parts, but perhaps a bit too flippant for my taste. A woman who has just been left by her husband and she then gets a cancer diagnosis and a rat in the kitchen - and lots more besides. It was never going to be a totally cheerful read...

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not easy to make a funny book about a woman whose husband leaves her, she gets a cancer diagnosis, and more awful things ensue, but Klein did it with panache.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jo Beynon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, be a good beach book.

[Onnica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the humour in this book and the complex, imperfect relationships were also very interesting.

[Jocelyn Ryder-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book funny and serious and engaging - but felt very let down by the end. A strange ending which left things ambiguous, with loose ends, and without sufficient rationale or clarity.

[Adrian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up DNF !

[Antonia Azoitei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, clever and emotive in sharp streaks throughout. An abrupt ending.

[Michele]

My Husband and Other Rats by Shelley Klein

This is not the most winsome title, but Klein’s book is an absolute gem: a vivid, witty and moving novel about Alison, a fortysomething journalist navigating the abrupt departureof her husband for the twentysomething Fanny Hooker, a rat infestation, a possible ghost, a mother with dementia and, to top it all off, a cancer diagnosis. It should begloomy, but in Klein’s hands it is anything but. Supported by a cast of brisk and brilliant friends, this is British comic writing at its best (Weidenfeld & Nicholson £20).

[Els Willems · Rating 3 out of 5]

My short review in English on Whichbook.net - https://www.whichbook.net/book/13345/...