WE COULD BE RATS

by Emily Austin

Innovatively organised, the first half of this novel is a young woman writing her own suicide note—over and over again, trying to get it right. The narrative then hands over to her sister, dealing with the after-effects of the event, and how her actions play out with their family and friends. The book is really about first love, sisterhood, mental illness and how we can be squashed by the family that loves us. An unusual combination of dark humour and tenderness containing some inspiring writing.