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Debra Hamel, September 13, 2006

Firmin, the literate rat who gives Sam Savage's book its title, was born in the cellar of a bookstore in Boston's blighted Scollay Square. Born the 13th of 13 children to a 12-teated, alcoholic mother, Firmin was often compelled to assuage his hunger by gnawing on books--a pathetic situation which resulted in the singular fact of Firmin's life, his ability to read. Firmin is not a rodent in the Stuart Little mold: he is caustic and cynical, his story imbued with a sense of tragedy. Savage exhibits an uncanny ability to channel Firmin's inner life: he emerges a very believable character, a creature of elevated sensibilities mired in the ugly realities of a rat's world. Savage's writing, moreover, is exquisite. If it is true, as Firmin explains, that a book's literary quality is directly related to its taste, then you might want to give your copy of Firmin a nibble.

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