Wow. This book left me speechless. And also crying like a little baby, but most importantly speechless.

The general premise of the novel is that Pearl's mother has just died (although does pop up from time to time to joke/tease/comfort/hug Pearl in a rather confusing spirit form) giving birth to 'the Rat', and the book deals with the aftermath.

Pearl really should be a thoroughly dislikable character. She is icy, cold, often cruel, and uses her grief like a whip to punish the people around her. Her dad and best friend Molly take the hardest hits, not because they don't want to help her, but because they don't understand how she can resent her newborn sister, despite 'the Rat' being the reason her mother passed away.

This provides a central character in turmoil, afraid for people to know she hates her sister, and throw in the fact that one of the main reasons she won't tell people is because she is afraid to upset her dead mother (who she occasionally sees) and you've got a very interesting book. Interestingly, I found Pearl's mother spirit form completely understandable, never once questioning her presence. Despite her mother dying at the beginning of the book, Pearl never gets the chance to say goodbye, so it is completely natural for her to conjure up a figment – a very realistic one at that, complete with extensive swearing abilities – of her mother to keep her memory close, and when it comes to the point in the novel where she finally comes to terms with her loss, and lets go of her hate (aimed at her dad, sister, friends), she does break down, and the reader goes down with her.

So, this isn't exactly a happy-go-lucky, beach read, it is essentially about grief, and dealing with that grief. Lots of grief. Lots of pain. And a fair bit of crying (on the reader's part especially). But it is realistic, heart-wrenching pain. Pearl's troubles and difficulties are so heartfelt, so excellently written, that I found myself drained when I came to the end of the book, because you really do experience everything she does, and completely understand and believe what you feel.

What I loved also was how Furniss crafted such believable characters. Pearl channels a fair bit of her pain into a very dry sense of humour, complete with stellar sarcastic wit, which at times made me burst into laughter. Her reckless approach to life, and the fact she becomes a near recluse was a very believable portrayal of grief – if she'd accepted her mothers death, and allowed the thought of company in such a dark time, the book simply wouldn't have had the same effect.

I honestly loved this book. Lots. It was just so raw, so heartbreakingly honest, I wish I could read it for the first time all over again. It really helped me gain a new perspective on grief, and how people deal with it, Pearl is such a brilliantly icy character she's hard not to love, and her development as a person is something to behold. On the whole, simply stupendous.

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