Rocks In The Belly by Jon BauerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A disturbing yet touching account of disintegration of a family. The narrative unfolds through two timelines, touching on human insecurities,guilt,jealousy, vengence and love.
Rocks in the Belly follows an extrovert eight year old boy resentful at having to share his parents' (especially his mother's)love and attention with foster boys living with them. This jealousy reaches unmanageable proportions at the arrival of Robert, leading to an act that leaves a lasting and damaging mark on all of them.
At twenty-eight, the son returns after living in Canada, volatile and affected by the past, to care for his terminally ill mother. Only this time, he has the upper hand. And his anger can't help but to abuse this new power shift.
There is a tender nuance to the Bauer's narrative. An ebb and flow to its rhythm that is very satisfying. Bauer lays his narrative gently on the reader's lap, trusting them with its keeping.
The characters are not always likeable. Yet it's not human to not pity them. They are real. Human.
Rocks In The Belly, though not always a comfortable read, is highly gratifying.
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