The Year of The Rat by Clare Furniss

The Year of The Rat

by Clare Furniss

"Beautifully written with a dry sense of humour" The Stylist
"'I cried, I laughed, I cried some more… a moving must-read that'll stay with you long after the last page is turned." Bliss
"The Year of the Rat is already a strong contender for best YA debut of 2014… I never wanted it to end." Wondrous Reads
"This novel will stay with me for a very long time. A must-read." The Mile Long Bookshelf
"An assured debut...Furniss describes Pearl's journey with sensitivity and humour' The Bookseller - editors pick section
I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over.
But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another.
The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…

Reviewed by bumblingbookworm on

3 of 5 stars

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This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from the book, but I'd been wanting to read it for a little while as it was such a different subject matter to what I normally read. I'm pleased to say that I was not disappointed :)

Pearl's story is heartbreaking and her grief is palpable throughout the novel. I couldn't imagine losing a parent that suddenly and Pearl also had the added burden of being left behind with her stepfather and her new baby sister, his biological daughter. Her feelings of jealousy, fear, hatred and grief were very genuine and not at all gimicky or fake. Pearl also had to deal with learning truths about her mother and her biological father, truths that were completely different to what she'd been told by her mum her whole life. As you can imagine, this was difficult for Pearl and at times she was torn between her desire to honour her mum's memory and the truth. Furniss did a wonderful job of conveying this and I felt such sympathy for Pearl.

Check out the rest of my review here!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 July, 2014: Finished reading
  • 12 July, 2014: Reviewed