Description
Let me start by saying: this book is weird. And I mean that in the best possible way. Adam Bertocci’s The Sorcery of White Rats is the kind of novel you read and then sit back like, “What did I just experience?” It’s part urban drama, part dream logic, and part “maybe the world is ending and your roommate might be the prophet of doom.”
The main characters, Bristol and Monroe, feel like people you’d know if you’ve ever lived in a big city in your twenties. They’re broke, scraping by, and still holding onto dreams that feel bigger than their reality. Bristol’s an artist who literally digs a picture frame out of the trash, because that’s the kind of broke-but-determined vibe she’s living. Monroe’s a bartender who’s all charisma and late nights, until one morning she wakes up seeing visions of the apocalypse and starts repeating, “We have to get out of the city.” Honestly, that line hit me. It’s such a simple sentence, but it becomes this drumbeat of panic that carries through the story.
What I really liked was how the book plays with the line between mental breakdown and supernatural prophecy. One second, Monroe’s collapsing on her bed, drenched in sweat, talking in this creepy, detached voice about fire, moons, and the end of the world. The next, you’ve got Xochitl, this neuroscience grad student, explaining how dreams are basically mini-psychotic episodes our brains throw at us every night. So is Monroe a prophet, or is she just someone whose brain is melting under the weight of stress and alcohol? The book never gives you a straight answer, and I kind of loved that.
Another thing I appreciated was the friendship at the center. Bristol doesn’t dump Monroe in a hospital and peace out. She sticks with her, carries her, humors her, and even defends her when she starts spouting stuff that sounds like it came out of a doomsday cult pamphlet. There’s a theme here about loyalty and how we sometimes ignore logic because we love someone too much to abandon them. That hit close to home.
Now, what didn’t work for me: the storytelling style can get messy. It’s not a straightforward novel. It’s like part testimony, part inner monologue, part stage script. At first, that was cool and different, but sometimes it felt like it got in the way of the story. I’d be deep in a scene, and then boom, another perspective shift would yank me out. I get that it’s intentional; it’s about multiple truths and how people remember events differently, but still, it was a little jarring.
I think what stuck with me most was the question of creation and destruction. The book is full of artists, musicians, dreamers, people who want to make something of themselves. But then Monroe’s vision is basically, “Nope, it’s all gonna burn.” It made me think about how every act of creation is haunted by the possibility of it being wiped out, whether that’s a painting, a song, or even just the life you’re trying to build. That’s some heavy stuff, but it’s handled with enough humor and rawness that it never feels preachy.
Bottom line: The Sorcery of White Rats isn’t for everyone. If you want something neat and tidy, this book will drive you nuts. But if you’re cool with messy, trippy, and sometimes flat-out unsettling storytelling that digs deep into art, friendship, and what it means to live when the world feels unstable, then this book’s worth the ride.
