A Civilized Rat

Not long ago I happened upon a funny looking book. The cover of Firmin by Sam Savage shows a scruffy rat reading a book and a large chunk is taken out of the book, as if a rat has chewed on its edge. I thought this was cute, so I decided to give it a try (although Firmin would be appalled, as he can't abide the cutesy rat literature). This is also why I recently read the nonfiction book about rats. I figured it would be nice to have a well-rounded look at rats.

I must admit that my expectations were not high when I picked this book up. Firmin is a rat and is the narrator of this surprisingly touching and contemplative novel. Firmin is a very intelligent creature, stuck in the body of a rat. He begins his story at his birth. Firmin was born in the basement of a bookshop; the runt of his litter. When he did not get enough nourishment from his mother, he turned to eating books. His literal love of books soon turned into a literary love, when he discovered he could read. The more he reads, the more intelligent he becomes. But this also makes him less rat-like and distances him from his family. As his brothers and sisters leave the nest, he stays on in the bookshop alone. Firmin longs to interact with humans and spends his days imagining a friendship with the owner of the bookshop. An outsider with his own species and with humans, Firmin doesn't seem to belong anywhere. He lives a very lonely life, full of self-loathing. This sounds depressing, and it is. The tone is melancholy and bittersweet, but I enjoyed this story. Firmin is a very well-developed and sympathetic character. It is a very short book (only 164 pages), but there is much to consider and it is not meant to be read quickly. I'm thinking this might make a good book discussion, but I'm not sure if I can get others on board with the whole rat thing.