Erin Bode’s Reviews > Rat Bohemia > Status Update
Erin Bode
is on page 176 of 226
A bit disorienting at times transitions to and from the various stories — remembering the details and matching it to the right protagonist is difficult at times. However, the ways in which the stories are woven together creates an extremely rich portrait of queer life and the AIDS crisis is incredible and evokes strong emotions. It forces us to reflect on family, community, and loss.
— Mar 01, 2023 03:49PM
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Erin Bode
is on page 93 of 226
“There’s nothing on earth that could kill us more efficiently than parental indifference.” Succinctly summarizes Dave’s experiences with his family in the second part. His experiences as a person with AIDS show the trauma and eventually desensitized grieving processes that the continual loss caused. Knowing that he had the same fate further complicates and darkens his perspective.
— Feb 24, 2023 11:16PM
Erin Bode
is on page 77 of 226
The shift in narration between parts confused me at first, but with the relationships between characters makes the transition between sections fairly seamless. Dave’s friendship with Rita in the first part and his desire to be remembered is actualized in a way in the second part, which gives the heavy subject matter a bit of lightness and hope for remembrance.
— Feb 24, 2023 05:14PM
Erin Bode
is on page 36 of 226
Rita fucks up rats but it’s like… also allegorical? Lots of cool stuff happening and some parallel plots are emerging. The writing style is difficult to follow at times with flashbacks and returns to reality, but it just requires close reading at those transitions.
— Feb 22, 2023 07:18PM
