by Clare Furniss
Isn't it strange when you start to read a book thinking it's going to be about one thing, and then find out it's going a completely different way? It was a bit like this with me with this book. I'd read the blurb about it (albeit not properly as it turns out) - young teenage girl, mother dies after giving birth to next baby, teenage girl ends up having to look after it. In fact, the teenage girl, Pearl, resents the baby (Rose) for many reasons - having the baby made Pearl lose her mum, the baby is now the focus of everyone's attention and no-one takes notice of Pearl. Pearl is dealing with the loss of her mother by becoming angry with everyone and she finds herself on a slippery slope to the depths of despair and self-pity. Her mum appears to her at various moments and speaks with her, and although Pearl takes some comfort from this, she still can't reveal her anguish to her or anyone else.
'The Rat' in the title is how Pearl calls her new baby sister, Rose. She can't seem to call her by her real name, she hates her, and she hates anybody who loves Rose. There is a quite upsetting part of the book where Pearl, who is supposed to be looking after the baby while her dad is out, just abandons the baby and runs off - she can't handle anything to do with her. Her best friend, Molly, tries to pull Pearl out of the deep hole of gloom, but even she cannot help Pearl.
The storyline, which seems very real and true-to-life, is handled with pathos but also humour. The author has done a good job of writing a story which could also be a script for a real life drama documentary. I enjoyed it.
For teens due to language.
