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Bath Rat
First published in 1995, this is a dramatic and exciting story about two most unlikely heroes who feel the need to voice their opinions despite resistance from adults and authorities. Rat has escaped and takes refuge in the public baths where he meets homeless Dylan. When Dylan campaigns against the closure of the baths, Rat is never far away.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 1995
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 29, 2016
My boyfriend recommended this book to me as he remembered having to read it in primary school. He recalled hating it, but being forced to read it (teachers in the mid-'90s, eh?).
We found a second hand copy on Amazon and both read it, just to see if it really was as bad as he remembered. It's actually his review below (used with permission), but I have to agree with it. The book was dark for a children's book and not in a compelling Watership Down way. The writing is bad too. It seems to be out of print now and both my boyfriend and I are happy about that fact!
My experience with this book started when I was an 8 year old boy, being given it by my primary school teacher to read. All I remember is a complete lack of enjoyment for this book, and being unable to finish it. Sixteen years later I decided to give it another shot.
With the story revolving around two characters: a rat and a homeless boy, parallels are drawn between their two situations -- the rat escaping from a test lab, and the boy leaving home to make something of himself.
The author's decision to include two protagonists causes the plot to become thin and uninteresting. Each chapter leads you down a road of insignificance with large portions of events and characters becoming lost in an attempt at creating non-linearity. This duality, coupled with the third person narration, forces an omnipresent view point which leaves you feeling disconnected with either character and heavily questioning their forced, artificial emotional connection.
The book ends with the line "..rats *can* fly..." as if this was in reference to an underlying moral issue. In reality, this was very much a backhanded retrofit, with only one prior mention that could easily be missed. It's as if the author was running through a check list of "What makes a good children's book", replacing every ounce of originality with shameful cliches.
Similar things could be said for the use of literary techniques, with a completely pointless attempt at using the rat as a plot device to help us "discover" an under described and entirely unused "Rat World". This then goes largely forgotten until the last few pages of the book where a rushed ending leaves us questioning why the previous 140 pages existed in the first place.
A truly horrific read.
We found a second hand copy on Amazon and both read it, just to see if it really was as bad as he remembered. It's actually his review below (used with permission), but I have to agree with it. The book was dark for a children's book and not in a compelling Watership Down way. The writing is bad too. It seems to be out of print now and both my boyfriend and I are happy about that fact!
My experience with this book started when I was an 8 year old boy, being given it by my primary school teacher to read. All I remember is a complete lack of enjoyment for this book, and being unable to finish it. Sixteen years later I decided to give it another shot.
With the story revolving around two characters: a rat and a homeless boy, parallels are drawn between their two situations -- the rat escaping from a test lab, and the boy leaving home to make something of himself.
The author's decision to include two protagonists causes the plot to become thin and uninteresting. Each chapter leads you down a road of insignificance with large portions of events and characters becoming lost in an attempt at creating non-linearity. This duality, coupled with the third person narration, forces an omnipresent view point which leaves you feeling disconnected with either character and heavily questioning their forced, artificial emotional connection.
The book ends with the line "..rats *can* fly..." as if this was in reference to an underlying moral issue. In reality, this was very much a backhanded retrofit, with only one prior mention that could easily be missed. It's as if the author was running through a check list of "What makes a good children's book", replacing every ounce of originality with shameful cliches.
Similar things could be said for the use of literary techniques, with a completely pointless attempt at using the rat as a plot device to help us "discover" an under described and entirely unused "Rat World". This then goes largely forgotten until the last few pages of the book where a rushed ending leaves us questioning why the previous 140 pages existed in the first place.
A truly horrific read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review