|
|
| Plot Summary of Rat |
|---|
"In 1993 Polish writer Zaniewski's novel was published simultaneously in 9 different countries (in English the following year with the help of translator Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough). The story follows the narrator-protagonist rat from birth to death, with much indiscriminate mating, violence, scrabbling for food and trash, and dire conflicts with humans, cats, dogs, and other rats. Zaniewski apparently presents a rat's life and point of view as directly and accurately as can be done -- although this particular one manages to get to a greater variety of landscapes (regular European city, war-torn European city, desert town under a burning bright sun -- perhaps northern Africa?) via ships and train, than the average, one imagines. Narration also slips from first to second person and back on a regular basis, even in the same paragraph, which is not jarring but a cause for wonder. Top marks for imagination and consistency, but lowered score for an unremittingly bleak and oppressive narrative."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of Rat |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Animal story
Yes
Kind of animal:
- mouse/rat
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Animal talks/thinks aloud?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Eastern European
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Eastern Europe
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
- dangerous
Misc setting
- sewers/subways
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- impregnation/reproduction
- actual description of hetero sex
- male homosexuals doing their thing
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- little dialog
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush
2:32:02 AM
Anonymous
2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters
9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody
6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught
11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen
9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts
1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino
9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky
11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman
12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer
7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller
8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn
12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden
2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts
1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt
12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun
10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett
10:03:31 PM
David Williams
10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield
10:02:30 PM
More message boards
|
