King Rat

The New Weird genre is definitively an interesting and fresh take on literature. It is a “genre” that has elements of other genres like horror, sci-fi, fantasy, but does not exclusively fall into any one of them. By definition, when something is weird it suggests something supernatural or uncanny. It could induce a sense of disbelief or alienation from the audience. This can be achieved by forgetting about the “logic” of the real world and fully immersing yourself within the bizarre. The work that I read this week, King Rat, very much did that.

The premise itself is wild to start with. I definitively found the story unique, and some of the characters were very compelling. The city as well was almost a character in itself, rich with life and vivid descriptions. The book is definitively an immersive experience. The descriptions make you live the story through all five senses - for better or for worse, considering sometimes it went a bit too descriptive for comfort, such as using strong words to evoke feelings of disgust. I believe the first act was the strongest, as it really got me hooked. The rest of the story kind of lost steam for me; it became very grim. Which is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it. I am very fond of weird stories in general. I feel like it is compelling because you can really relax into the story and let go of pre-conceived notions. The author also has more room to stretch their creative muscles. It could also be something that activates the curiosity within ourselves. We want to somehow make sense of the weird, or try to find the logic where there is none. I honestly find that conversation between the work and the audience to be kind of fun.