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The author�s voice is well-defined in this comical, yet seriously touching story of a teenager in search of himself and an escape to his broken heart. Rob Thomas� �Rats Saw God� exposes the story of Steve York, a promising-student- turned-trouble-teen, who is now being forced to write a hundred-page assignment in order to graduate. In what he believes is nothing more than an assignment imposed on him, he comes to find the answers he has been looking for and the truth to some points of view he was dead wrong about. The author uses realistic teenage language and expressions which make his story believable and easy to enjoy. His feelings of rage, or as he likes to think, indifference, towards his father are visible throughout the entire story. He never refers to his father as "Dad" or even calls him "my father" when speaking to other people about him. His feelings are mixed between what he used to feel for Dub, his ex-girlfriend, and the type of person he has become now. When he was going out with Dub, he was someone who cared about his grades and enjoyed his classes. He was in some ways bitter toward some things, but Dub helped him see things differently. He had perfect grades and was to be accepted to just about any university of his choice. However, a betrayal from Dub and someone he admires deeply greatly changes his outlook on life entirely. He now smokes Marihuana and is in danger of not graduating. It is fortunate that his senior counselor, Jeff Demouy, is able to see something is terribly wrong with that picture and help Steve discover the root of the problem.
Rob Thomas has a wonderfully unique way of expressing himself and bringing the main character to life. Complete with the awkwardness of a teeneager, Steve is the teenage brother, cousin, or neighbor we might at some point witness growing. "I can't remember much about the U2 song. I was too concerned with sliding my feet and putting my hands in the proper lower back loci." The style in which Mr. Thomas creates his characters truly gives female readers an inside look into the thoughts that go through a male teenager's mind, and the fact that he is able to do this with such comicality make this a priceless masterpiece.
Thomas, Rob. 1996. Rats saw God. New York: Simon & Schuster Children�s Publishing Division. ISBN 0-689�80207-2. |
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