Rat
by Kevin Lavey
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Pub Date Jan 28 2022 | Archive Date Nov 16 2022
ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Rats Rip Books
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Description
The dirty streets of 1980s Baltimore offer the perfect environment for a lost young man to sniff out his own domain and build a nest. But when that man is convinced there’s little good about him, life becomes a frustrating exercise.
Conrad, as everyone calls him, has settled into a solitary routine of working as a book acquisitions editor for a small publishing company and spending his free time alone in his apartment, reading magazine articles and dreaming about a world he doesn’t belong to. Still fighting against isolation and his own rat-like tendencies, Conrad struggles between what he’s sure is his true nature and the good person he longs to be.
Then he meets Calypso, the beautiful young woman who cares for the plants in his office. Although he can’t imagine what she could possibly see in him, he wants her like crazy. But there’s something about the headstrong Calypso that intrigues him beyond carnal knowledge. Could she be his ticket to something like happiness?
A whirlwind relationship lands Conrad right where he thought he wanted to be…until Calypso’s secrets are revealed, throwing Conrad’s plans for redemption into chaos. Is it possible that Calypso is as ratty as he? And if so, can two rats make a good life together, or are they destined to drag one another back into the gutter?
Advance Praise
The extended metaphor of the Rat describes the protagonist's life with all its implications. The Rat is furtive, sometimes curious, a gnawer or the gnawed, disdained by others, forced to live by one's wits, and often trapped in a maze with every exit, if locatable, boobytrapped. The novel, often profound, is laced with humor. We sympathize with the characters' plight even if they bring their misfortune on themselves. The protagonist's life story is told through current action and flashbacks until we understand his life story and why his situation could not be anything less than it is. We sympathize with him, whether it's bad luck or personality flaws that drive his choices and reactions. The author presents intuitive insights into the human condition and shines a light into some dark, dim places, yet we cannot help but think that the Rat will somehow emerge because he's a survivor. Well worth the time. Read this book.
—Jaime G., 5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
RAT starts as an interesting read, different in tone. Halfway through the action starts to heat up until the language and the twisted thoughts actually catch fire and burn to the end. Who is the author who thinks like this?
—5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
I love reading about Conrad and Calypso’s whirlwind journey. Rat is a treat! I look forward to Mr. Lavey’s next work.
— Eileen, 5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
Who is Kevin Lavey and where did this book come from? One word to describe him: Writer. He displays a superb command of language and every sentence is crafted to capture the reader. I'm shocked that he is not well known and listed among American literary treasures. Depth, passion, compassion, humor, and craft are on full display. Bravo.
—T.J. E., 5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
I could relate to Conrad's feelings of rat-ness, especially in these times of isolation and mistrust. Worth the read.
—Kim Z., 5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
Rat (a man named Raymond Conrad), whose philosophy of the world involves many swear words and rude nicknames and theories about what men and women want at certain ages, is an intriguing if not entirely sympathetic character. The chronology of the book skips around, but in the end readers will get the whole picture of Rat's life.
The most admirable quality of the narrative is perhaps its honesty. We read about Rat as an adolescent thinking about girls during Catholic Mass: "As Rat grew taller, the top of the pew lined up with his groin and he softly bumped his cock against it to enhance arousal while staring at Elizabeth or Mary or Catherine of Kathleen or Joan." (Lavey 31)
As a first book by author Kevin Lavey, we already recognize in Rat the author's uniquely refreshing, gritty, tell-it-like-it-is voice. I definitely look forward to seeing more from Mr. Lavey, perhaps also more of the character of Rat!
—Yu-Han C., 5-Star Amazon Verified Purchase Review
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781737865701 |
| PRICE | |
