Emily Austin’s Interesting Facts About Space was one of my favorites, so I was excited to jump into my ARC of We Could Be Rats! I think this book is a ‘right book, wrong time’ situation for me. There are so many people who will love this literary story, especially because the writing is excellent, but with a MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING for suicide, it’s not going to be a book for everyone.

I’m honestly not sure how to rate this story. It’s broken into 3 parts: Sigrid’s suicide letter attempts, her sister Margit’s view of the events, & then Sigrid’s POV. Without getting incredibly deep into the sections, each highlights various aspects of both Sigrid’s and Margit’s life. Austin does a great job of highlighting familial and societal expectation so many of us have felt growing up and maybe still feel as adults. Also it’s a great in-depth view into two sisters’ less than stellar relationship and I love the way Austin covered both our own intrinsic expectations and view of ourselves while highlighting that the way others see us can be vastly different.

We Could Be Rats is definitely a moving story. It’s a largely character driven story about the impacts of suicide & family dynamics. It’s sad, a bit slow, and very much an exemplary example of Austin’s ability to capture our inner monologues & the human experience.

So, while I didn’t love it as much as Interesting Facts About Space, I don’t think I disliked it either. However, being four months post-partum, I think it was just too much/sad for me at this time. Too many pieces of the story made me feel vulnerable, especially looking back at my teenage self, and I’m just not in a place to absorb stories like this right now. Then again, maybe because of that this should be a five-star read? Depends on how you define a ‘good’ book. Regardless, I now know that if I was a rat, I’d want to be at a fair, ‘sampling every possible ounce of happiness’.

Interesting Facts About Space Review

AMAZON | GOODREADS  | BOOKSHOP |★★★

We Could Be Rats comes out January 28, 2025. Thank you to Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my review.  If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.