Another perfect book from my favorite author. No one writes the mind of an anxious/ mentally ill person better.

So happy I got to read it early through NetGalley but can’t wait to get my own physical copy to highlight and write in the margins.

The definition of an unreliable narrator till the very end. But still laughed along with her and rooted for her the entire time.

Nothing could prepare me for the way this book ripped the heart out of my chest, stuck a bandaid on it, then gave it back to me and said “You’ll be okay.” I will in fact not be okay.

Adulthood to high-school dropout Sigrid is nothing but bomb threats at the dollar pal, Kevin Fliner running for mayor, and Greta, her only friend in the world and the only person who truly knows her, is struggling with an opioid addiction. Drafting her suicide note Sigrid feels isolated and angry. Her parents are angry swamp monsters, Jerry won’t stop consuming essential oils and Margit, her older sister doesn’t understand why she won’t conform to polite societal standards. But most of all, Sigrid just wants to be happy.


Childhood, sisterhood, being queer in a small town Emily Austin does it all in We Could Be Rats. This is my favorite Austin book yet. She knows how to speak to my soul in a language no other author has been able to do before. It feels like she's directly in my brain shuffling through my own thoughts and feelings and putting them down on the page.

The sibling dynamic in this book was my favorite. As an older sister with her own swamp monster parents and younger sister who couldn’t be more different than her I felt the most connected to Margit as a character. The way she internalizes the things going on in her surroundings, and is attuned to how the people around her will act and feel. I never felt more seen in a character before. I loved that we got some of Margit’s perspective as well. I loved seeing her growth and own understanding of herself. She knows she’s made mistakes in the past, especially in regards to her relationship with Sigrid and I loved seeing her make amends with herself and her sister.

What I love most about this book is the way Austin writes about the human experience. About all the layers of being human. It feels like we’re all onions and the more you peel back the more you see. There’s a layer for being a queer woman in a small town like Drysdale. I especially liked the politics mentioned in this book. Because these are real problems that real people are facing everyday. And I loved reading about how angry Sigrid was because of this. Because it is aggravating. There’s a layer for growing up and mourning the childhood you had, even when it wasn’t perfect. There’s a layer for grieving lost friendships. I found the relationship between Sigrid and Greta to be especially sad. It’s never easy losing a friend and the way Austin writes Sigrid mourning that friendship she had with Greta made me sob at two in the morning.

Overall, I could go on and on about this book and the immense love I have for it. I could write whole essays about how much this book has changed me as a person in less than three hundred pages. I really loved the the conversations around queerness, mental health & childhood. I recommend to anyone who loves books that will break their heart in half and simultaneously heal it at the same time.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved all of Emily Austin's work and this was no different! The characters are brutally real while also being entertaining. I think that this book has wonderful portrayals of family, sexuality, mental heath, identity, and life in a small town. I will continue to read every novel that Austin writes and can't wait for the next one!

This was the first book by Emily Austin that I have read and I throughly enjoyed it and plan on going back to read her past work.

“We could be rats” talks about very heavy topics (TW for suicide/suicidal thoughts, abuse, substance abuse, and SA) and even though it does focus on these topics, it still is a very enjoyable read because I think it hits on those topics in such a raw and honest way. “We could be rats” really brought up some nostalgic memories of late childhood/early teenage years. Running around without care, being confused as to why your friends don’t want to play with Barbie’s anymore and trying to find where you fit into everything in a town that doesn’t seem to have space for you. The beginning was good it really pulled me in right from the first chapter. I felt connected and similar to Sigrid and Margit in so many ways. I definitely think this is a book I will sit with for a while and characters I will remember. I do have to say I thought the beginning chunk was a bit repetitive but once I hit the second part it truly surprised me and then I couldn’t put it down until I was finished!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Emily Austin for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

i don't think anyone else captures the balance between the happiness of being alive, holding random connections with people and the frustrations of having to come to terms with the evils of the world better than emily austin. i cried during so much of this book and was still left with hope. loved sigrid's perspective and felt so so connected with marg's chapters as well. didn't want this to end at all.

thank you netgalley for the arc <3

We Could Be Rats is a story about 2 very different sisters, who coped with and unpredictable, challenging childhood in very different ways, trying to find their way back to each other. Sigrid did not graduate high school, hates her job, never wants to grow up and has lost the only friend who’s ever understood her to drug addiction. Margit is a people pleaser and just can’t understand why Sigrid can’t just be the same way and not rock the boat.

I adored Interesting Facts About Space and couldn’t wait to read Emily Austin’s newest book. We Could Be Rats is an emotional story about the challenges of living in a small town and feeling like you don’t fit in. The struggles of realizing that the safe, happy bubble of childhood no longer exists and to cope with adulthood is just so hard. The mental heath struggles in the story are so relatable and the way things are revealed and uncovered is so powerful and thought provoking. This book contains some VERY SERIOUS topics written in that quirky, sometimes funny, but profound, Emily Austin way. I read this one in 24 hours! (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC of We Could Be Rats in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5. I think if this book reaches it's niche it will be loved and be relatable to many people. This book is a uniquely written story of a sister, a friend, a daughter, and a niece. I think fans of the author will be pleasantly surprised with "We Could Be Rats" as it did not disappoint.

this book ripped me open in a way only Emily Austin knows how. it gets at the heart of what it means to be queer in a small town: when you don’t want to live but don’t really want to die either. BIG TW!! half the book is written in the POV of suicide notes which i was not expecting and had me openly cry on an airplane. i will definitely need to sit with all the feelings this book kicked up because it was almost uncomfortably too close to home, but a true testament to how amazingly written this was.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

☆

As a long-time fan of Emily R. Austin's previous works (Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space), I was thrilled to receive an ARC of We Are Rats. Austin has a remarkable way of tackling complex emotional themes, and this novel is no exception. However, it does come with a warning, as the story delves into sensitive subjects such as suicide, toxic family dynamics, and drug use, so readers should approach with care.

The book opens with Sigrid, struggling to write a suicide note. From there, we are plunged into her mind, which is disjointed and chaotic, and we soon meet her sister Margit. Both women serve as unreliable narrators, which adds an intriguing layer to the story as we navigate their different perspectives. What stands out is the deep character study of these two sisters—despite growing up in the same difficult environment, they internalize their experiences in vastly different ways. Watching how they process and react to the same trauma was one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. As such, the unreliable narration added some very interesting twists throughout the book.

My one criticism, and the reason I didn’t rate this a full 5 stars, is the ending. Without giving anything away, I found it slightly underwhelming. After being so emotionally invested in the characters and their journey, I was expecting a more impactful conclusion, one that would leave me shaken like the rest of the story did. Instead, it fell a bit short.

That said, Emily R. Austin’s writing remains as sharp and insightful as ever. Her ability to create such complex, fully fleshed-out characters is impressive, and We Are Rats is another strong addition to her body of work. Despite the ending not totally landing for me, the novel as a whole is a compelling, emotional read that will stay with you long after you finish.

Love an author who writes about fictional towns that I have absolutely been to. The beginning of Austin's new novel felt meandering for me, I almost didn't continue but I am so so glad that I did.
I don't love going into plot summaries when I review because these are mostly for future Kira and I can just look up to see the summary..but ill give some quick points. Sisters, suicide, queerness, not fitting in, fitting in, guilt, escape. A really beautiful and funny testament to pushing through and a forever shout out auto-buy to a fellow Ottawa gal.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e arc. I will be buying this when it comes out because also LOOK AT THE COVER.

You get to know the story of two sisters and their differences growing up in this book. Trigger warnings for suicide.

Was really excited to receive an e-ARC for this one because I’ve really enjoyed Emily Austin’s other books but didn’t enjoy this one as much as I expected to. The structure did not work for me. I appreciated the sentiment of the difficulties of adulthood and insecurities but the chapters felt disjointed. However, the writing is still wonderful. It just felt very stream of consciousness to me and I didn’t connect emotionally as much as I anticipated.

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on self-harm, suicidal ideations, attempted suicide, grief, physical abuse, parental abuse, rape, bigotry, xenophobia, substance abuse, & others.

The scene opens with an untruth; the narrator’s cause is made clear yet the tone shifts with delayed wit & muddy watered honesty lending shade to a darkness clear as sunshine. Such is the way of the author. By this time, you will have seen my name associated with two previous reviews depicting issues & adoration with Austin as a creative & writer. I would not begrudge your curiosity & harsh judgment upon seeing it for a third time. When I saw that Austin had written another novel, I was apprehensive to lend my enthusiasm to the crowd; we had not grown beloved of each other as I found redundancy in her quirks yet, here we stand again, familiar strangers in the literary world.

I find Austin’s work curious. At once, the books she writes offer readers from an array of levels, & who hold certain preferences, the opportunities to explore something different without requiring them to expound effort into understanding her stories. The characters she crafts are fraternal twins, each one nearly identical to the other except when it comes to the minute details that add background to the otherwise redundant plot lines. Yet, I wonder if this is intentional.

Certain authors pleasure their talents by toying with the utter strangeness of the unknown character. The story they pen wedges into the psyche in the wee hours of neutrality. Austin seems intent on offering readers the opposite experience; I cannot fault her for this.

In creating a world where each character is all the more disadvantaged due to their misbehaviour, Austin allows readers the opportunity to adopt the role of the harsh critic. Indeed, my role here is mute as the cymbals have chimed sonorously & what I will write may seem altogether repetitive though, as a promise for the book, & out of profoundly personal necessity, I write this anyway.

In essence, this is a story about a pair of sisters in their early twenties who confront the seething effects of their toxic family dynamic. The story opens with Sigrid who is attempting to write her suicide note & soon divulges into the dual inky goo of Margit, who goes over Sigrid’s original entry in a bid to make it more palatable for their parents.

The flow of this story is quite the opposite of seamless. Rather than peruse a story that sees the characters become transparent versions of themselves while they shed their human fallacies; Austin’s narrator—the tormented & bemused Sigrid—tries desperately to shadow herself from the truth & in turn, hopes that her last punctuation mark will prevent readers from seeing any honesty in her words.

When I started reading this book, I was hopeful. The feeling is a result of enjoying the clear & pointed flow of Austin’s work without necessarily appreciating the overtly chronically online personality that makes up her main characters. Certainly, this is a subjective opinion & the reason why I find myself so conflicted with my feelings. At surface value, Sigrid & Margit are a pair worth reading about & a sister duo who resemble many a family dynamic. Yet, their overt need to subdue the truth via meme-formatted humour leaves this story squarely on the sidelines as soon-to-be Classics take their place.

Is it wrong to appreciate a book that will not stand the test of time? While making my way through the first section of this story I wondered how many readers would be able to appreciate the deep-rooted need that both sisters had to masquerade as something else; leaving them sheltered from the emotional & physical horror that prospered around them.

While recent years have proved to be the Millennial playground, shedding light on better ways of communicating, smoother formats for connecting with others, & overall experiences that highlight the human ability to function in empathy; the generational divide remains stark & not all who claim torment have been traumatized.

The wiggling worm of truth slithers in the bind of the tale at hand. Sigrid has been left to feel utterly worthless at the young age at which we find her in her letters. The early twenties in the life & times of most people are not a time when a person has their life, all figured out. In fact, most people are just beginning to experience what it means to live in the real world & their twenties are the decade during which their rose-coloured glasses are shelved, seldom to be worn again. Amid these crowds of joyous over-eager onlookers, one finds people like Sigrid & Margit.

Categorically, the sisters are trying their best to live in a world that has been made clear to them; a world that they know too well to be surprised to see during a Christmas dinner; a world in which their deranged, angry parents have lived & prospered. It is not surprising that they should wonder how on earth they are meant to find their place among others who do not seem to see the pain inflicted on them by their caretakers—their parents—& in which others are burdened by simple household Commandments.

If readers pause, they will be given more of an opportunity to truly appreciate what I have written. Sigrid boasts about a happy life because who wouldn’t be happy with a nuclear family & all the opportunities in the world of Middle-Class Canada? The breaks between recollections—which the reader will later note have been penned by Margit—speak more clearly of what Sigrid is trying to stifle. The quirky jokes & misplaced squawks become blurred in the periphery of the bleary-eyed sadness looking at the reader through Sigrid’s handwritten notes when the reader takes the time to look up.

Though I will not be among the crowd of toe-sucking admirers once this book’s pages heat with the print, I readily admit the value & importance of the plot. Whereas it seems that the snow-covered fields reveal a tundra; suicidal ideations are not as common as one may choose to believe. It is imperative that readers learn to appreciate the catastrophically morbid experience that Sigrid is grappling with as she introduces herself to the reader. As she pretends that her life isn’t all bad, rather as she claims that her memories silhouette a beautiful flowery life; Grey Gardens sprinkle their paws around her being, burying her alive.

What is a reader meant to deduce from this book? I have experience in this field, we shall leave it at that. Suffice it to say that I would not wish this reality on anyone—no one at all. The people I know who experience this reality, no matter the spectrum of experiences that contributed to a malady invisible to them save when they look in the mirror, would not wish this on anyone either.

With Austin’s care, Sigrid’s pain flows over the words she masquerades as truth. Perhaps a reader who is experienced or one who has lived enough years on earth to muster empathy & patience will see the characters for who they truly are; sickeningly terrified children in adult bodies.

I highlight a shared sentiment in the paragraph above because it is easy to forget that people who experience suicidal ideations & those who advance on attempted suicide are not living the same experiences as others. It remains nearly impossible to truly transfer the weight of emotions & experiences to another person; some among us feel it easier to simply stop trying & leave this realm altogether. We are lesser as a whole in their absence.

While Sigrid writes in sloppy penmanship & hopes to correct the tract of a life where she feels she is the failure her parents made her out to be, her sister, Margit, suffers a pain all too familiar to me. What I hope readers will appreciate about this book is the woven relationship that exists as a consequence of being alive. It pained me to close the book as I read it; I wanted so badly to whisper kindness & promises that the world was not, in its entirety, identical to the sister’s domestic upbringing. The reader is in the impossible position of watching someone drown in water set warmly by their very own parents.

Behind the scenes of this letter is the truth. Early on readers will note the shift from Sigrid to Margit as revisions to the original content happen directly under their noses. The childhood that the characters experienced is wrought with fear, violence, substance abuse, bigotry, ignorance, & isolation.

Though I will not ravish the somewhat tedious humour that is used as a crutch by the characters, its inclusion in this story felt authentic & true. It is no secret that humour is used, quite actively by many, as a coping mechanism. To watch the slow-moving story of sadness divert from what is tormenting the narrator in an attempt to appease the faceless reader, allowed this story to become more than what it was.

Readers have the opportunity to take their time consuming & digesting this book. The appearance of antagonists in sheep’s clothing & apprehensively mystical allies, sees the plot welcome the page-turning fingers of strangers into the world of small-town Canada, a place that could be anywhere familiar to anyone.

The downward spiral of Sigrid’s best friend following years of societal disregard & a suffocating experience at the hands of a blasphemous man; the ignorant haven of extended family; & the passing of love; Sigrid’s life will be all too familiar to many readers & for this reason, they may find some semblance of comfort in her goose-chase down memory lane.

Ultimately, this is not a bad book. It is not one I would have had recommended to me but, I am glad to have read it. I’m certain to run into Austin again as we covet the space where words meet in rash-staining-haste. Her ideas of a literary world where her convenient internet personality may flourish on the page draw me to her work in a way that cannot be replicated as it feels quaintly & devilishly authentic to her quiet moments.

The stylistic choice of this story will not make it a daring Classic among Titans but, it will allow the reader in mind to materialize between the shelves, seeking the one book that will allow them the privacy & pleasure of a laugh amid sorrow.

For those who may find the subject matter altogether derogatory & unsavoury, I wish for you the malevolence of God’s full attention. Perhaps, He will be more forgiving as we march through a world of His own creation where neighbours, strangers, friends, & family, render the shape of the globe concave with nightmares, each more ghoulish than the next.

There is no laughing matter to be had in the onyx of a mind plagued by one’s inner voice; may the whispers of a rose sooth softness into the crevices where despair can be left to rot, for those who ponder the possibility of an end of their road.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & Emily Austin for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

~ ARC provided by NetGalley ~

At this point, I am committed to reading everything Emily Austin writes. While her books are at times hard to read, I think they each portray multifaceted and complex depictions of queer women. "We Could Be Rats" has a complicated structure and network of semi-reliable (or unreliable) narrators, but ultimately tells the story of two sisters in the aftermath of one of their suicide attempt. Some aspects of the structure can be confusing, but ultimately it pays off if you keep reading. I think that as time goes on, Austin's books are becoming more amorphous, but I still found this one really compelling with a strong emotional core.

Not my favorite from Emily Austin. I thought the concept was interesting and I actually enjoyed the alternating POVs between the sisters. It just dragged, tbh.

We Could Be Rats is about the relationship between two sisters as they navigate their relationship with each other and the different ways they interact with the world around them. Told in alternate perspectives, we hear from both sisters ruminating on their upbringing and their family dynamic.

I have read both of Emily Austin's previous books. I think that fans of her work will find a lot to love here. Hallmarks of Austin's work include a misunderstood main character who is slightly at odds with the world around her. Sigrid fits right alongside Austin's other main characters. This book feels even more focused on the interiority of the main characters, as very few plot elements occur. The novel is told in mostly in diary entries or letters. While I felt like Austin's last book, Interesting Facts About Space, had too much going on, I think this book has perhaps not enough going on. I felt as though I understood the main characters pretty early on, so some of the book felt repetitive to me. I also felt like the book wrapped up extremely quickly, without clear resolution to the plot. I understand that life is sometimes like this, open ended, but I wish that there had been more of a character arc for both of our main characters. It made the book feel a little bit meandering.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this arc in exchange for my honest review! 🐀💓

I haven’t had the chance to read Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead (but definitely on my to read list), but I loved Interesting Facts About Space, so I was so excited to be able to read this arc! Emily Austin is quickly becoming a favorite author and I will for sure be picking up any future releases.

We Could Be Rats follows Sigrid, a high-school dropout who spends her early twenties in the small town she grew up in and longs to escape, working at the Dollar Pal. Despite living in the same town as her family, she feels increasingly alienated from the people around her and frustrated with the ignorance that tends to fester in a small town environment. Sigrid often spends her time daydreaming and thinking about her childhood, when she could escape with her toys in her basement and create a fictional world for herself to escape in. Meanwhile, Sigrid’s older sister Margit has gone off to college, and the two have zero contact unless forced together at family holidays.

Although the goodreads summary does not mention suicide, I think it’s extremely important to know that suicide plays a major role in this story before going into it. Overall this book deals with some emotional topics including suicide, drug addiction, and grappling with adulthood, but I think Austin did an incredible job at inserting humorous moments to balance out the darker themes. This book will make you cry one moment and laugh the next- not in a way that feels like whiplash, but in a way that feels raw and human. I adored Sigrid’s character, and although I am so extremely different from her, I related to so much of her thoughts and feelings. I think everyone can relate to her in some way. Emily Austin is very talented at writing weird, sad female protagonists that don’t feel like they are trying to be quirky for the sake of it which can easily feel cringey. I think if you like Ottessa Moshfegh protagonists, but want to add a more humorous element, you would definitely like Emily Austin characters.

This book is not quite a five star read because I felt that the beginning of the book felt a bit repetitive at times- but as the story progressed it got much better with this. That’s my only real criticism with this book- other than that I hope people pick this up!! Loved this one 💓

Perfection.

“I get this desperate feeling sometimes. Like I’m a kid banging inside the cage of my adult body, dying to escape to the moon.”

I feel like I never want to read another book again if it isn’t this one because I will never feel as connected to any character the way I felt with Sigrid and Margit.

This is about growing up and realizing that people aren’t always good and that streets aren’t made for unicorns. This is about looking back and finding the moment you realized your childhood was over and all of your dreams of magic aren’t coming true. It sounds sad and depressing and it is, but it’s a work of art and Emily Austin has once again shattered my heart to pieces in the best way possible.

We could all be rats, and we would all be better for it.

Absolutely phenomal book that you NEED to have tissues next to you for! Somehow, the last line, made me cry more than the rest of the book put together. Oddly funny at times, yet devastating book of sisterhood, adulthood, childhood, and the oddities of life and death. Genuinely cannot explain how much everyone needs to read this immediately! With that being said, definitely read trigger warnings, which include: suicide, off-page drug abuse, domestic and familial violence, and emotional abuse.

I was given an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review, by NetGalley!

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin combines humor and heart in a story about two sisters finding their way back to each other. I love the mix of quirkiness and darker themes, and Austin’s dry, witty writing feels like hanging out with a funny friend. However, the past-tense and rushed narration of the first half made it difficult for me to feel connected.
Fans of PEN15 will likely enjoy its nostalgic, offbeat vibe.

Will post a Goodreads review closer to publish date!