The Adventures of Trash Rat by Daniel Aegan is a coming of age story about Almond, the eponymous trash rat, and his raccoon best friend, Oumar. They must go on a quest to destroy a magic ring Almond’s sister found.
I was skeptical about this story at first, because it’s not the type of book I usually read. But I’m glad I took a chance on it. I loved how Aegan blended philosophy and character development with his world building, so as Almond grows, so too does his and the reader’s understanding of Raminath.
I also loved the relationship between Almond and Oumar. Almond’s optimism acted as a foil against Oumar’s cynicism, and vice versa. And though you can read their friendship as platonic, there was a ton of a queer subtext between them.
If I had any criticism, it’s that the ended fell a little flat and appeared anticlimactic to me. Also, there was a lot of head hopping.
However, I would love to read more about Almond, Oumar, and Raminath.
I give The Adventures of Trash Rat 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.