Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Rat Park 
AUTHOR: Marina Vivancos
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 377 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2019
BLURB:
Dominic has lived with an empty ache inside him for as long as he could remember. Maybe it started when he was six, hiding beneath his blankets as the wild animal noises of one of mom’s parties echoed in his head. Maybe it began the first time an adult plied him with drinks just to watch him stumble about.
Or, maybe, it was that he couldn’t even imagine what being loved should feel like.
Drugs washed all that away. It didn’t cure the ache, but it made him forget it for a while. Anything was better than being conscious. Than being himself. But life had another hard lesson for him: With drugs, the only way is down.
Dominic hits rock bottom when he’s twenty-three. Turns out, rock bottom looks a lot like the bars of a jail cell. With little left but his own thoughts, Dominic has to decide: Is this what I want for the rest of my life?
The world has never been kind to Dominic, but when he meets the Romeros, he wonders if that is about to change. Officer Catalina Romero seems to see something in Dominic that he is sure isn’t there. The more she pulls him towards her family, however, the harder it is not to go.
All his resistance disappears under the force that is Flor Romero. Spitfire, stubborn Flor—even at sixteen, he refuses to be taken lightly. As he grows older, putting a stop to what Flor obviously wants to happen between them is harder than Dominic would ever want to admit.
Dominic knows that he has too many demons to let anybody get too close. But life doesn’t prepare him for Flor, who just might be ready to fight tooth and nail for a place in Dominic’s life—and his heart.
The question is, will Dominic’s past keep him from his future?
REVIEW:
As a child street-wise Dominic was a bit of a rebel. Used to a noisy home, he didn’t like quiet elsewhere; it’s what he was used to, and he created noise if needed. Yes, his childhood was rough. Born to a young mother who loved him, but loved parties and drink, more. Self-reliance became a must. Dominic followed the examples made by familiar adults and being drunk at aged eleven was nothing strange. Hanging out with his mate, Mason, smoking while ignoring bruises and keeping secrets was his pastime. He needed to escape – drink eventually led to drugs – and drugs led to other things.
Told in the third person, the story starts with the stark realism of circumstance, and it ain’t pretty. The first part of the story was uncomfortable to read, and rightly so. Learning about, a thrown together childhood that should have included more play than alcohol, drugs, jail, and feeling helpless, shouldn’t be easy. The few short sentences where Dominic and Mason go in different directions brought a lump to my throat and was particularly memorable as were some other scenes which I won’t mention due to, too many spoilers.
Officer Romero was a force of nature. She saw something in Dominic and wasn’t about to give up on him. That wasn’t the end of the bad though. Once an addict, always an addict and the itch to indulge in drugs was only a scratch away. No matter what he did to improve his life, Dominic experiences feelings of guilt, self-recriminations, and a sense of being unworthy of forgiveness.
Happenings that most would think to be everyday occurrences are hills to climb and temptation for Dominic. Add to the mix Flor – officer Romero’s son – who is as persistent as his mother, is a wall he can’t circumvent. Flor offers him the best of joys and the most heartbreaking of lows. Flor is someone Dominic wants but doesn’t feel worthy of having.
From the blurb, I expected a slightly different story, but I wasn’t disappointed with what I got. I expected perhaps some more showy good vs evil drama. What I got was a more humbling experience, told in a way that kept me glued to the page.
Officer Romero uses positive reinforcement – giving an addict something to keep clean for, rather than the negativity of punishment. Many would say Dominic deserves punishment – as he believes himself. However, Dominic is a victim of circumstance needing what many take for granted – the safety and love of a family.
Rat Park is a story, simple in conception, yet difficult to achieve. Dominic fights his personal battles/demons, and for much of the time, he has no army to back him up. I found myself shedding the odd stray tear and willing him to succeed and finally believe that he is worthy.
RATING: 
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