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Rocks in the Belly
How far can you push a child?
Rocks in the Belly is about a precocious eight-year-old boy and the volatile adult he becomes. During childhood his mother fosters boys, despite the jealous turmoil it arouses in her son. Jealousy that reaches unmanageable proportions when she fosters Robert, an amiable child she can’t help bonding with. Until the bond triggers an event that profoundly changes everyone. Especially Robert.
At twenty-eight the son returns to face his mother. He hasn’t forgiven her for what happened to Robert. But now she’s the dependent one and he the dominant force — a power he can’t help but abuse.
Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the destruction we wreak on one another in the pursuit of our own happiness; how we never escape our upbringing; and a stark reminder that the most dangerous place for a child is within the family.
A compelling, powerful, and yet beautiful and funny novel.
Rocks in the Belly is about a precocious eight-year-old boy and the volatile adult he becomes. During childhood his mother fosters boys, despite the jealous turmoil it arouses in her son. Jealousy that reaches unmanageable proportions when she fosters Robert, an amiable child she can’t help bonding with. Until the bond triggers an event that profoundly changes everyone. Especially Robert.
At twenty-eight the son returns to face his mother. He hasn’t forgiven her for what happened to Robert. But now she’s the dependent one and he the dominant force — a power he can’t help but abuse.
Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the destruction we wreak on one another in the pursuit of our own happiness; how we never escape our upbringing; and a stark reminder that the most dangerous place for a child is within the family.
A compelling, powerful, and yet beautiful and funny novel.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2010
10 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Jon Bauer
14 books20 followersJon Bauer has written short stories and plays for stage and radio. Rocks in the Belly is his first novel and won the 2011 Indie Award for Best Debut Fiction. It was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
December 23, 2021
A veces, solo a veces, Goodreads nos debería permitir poder poner diez estrellas.
Cada capítulo es una bofetada. Te deja sin aliento.
Cada metáfora es más bella que la otra.
Las escenas son escalofriantes y dolorosas.
La escritura, perfecta.
Desde el segundo capítulo ya era uno de mis libros favoritos de la vida.
Quiero no olvidarlo. No quería terminarlo.
Pero lo haré. Y se acabó.
Cada capítulo es una bofetada. Te deja sin aliento.
Cada metáfora es más bella que la otra.
Las escenas son escalofriantes y dolorosas.
La escritura, perfecta.
Desde el segundo capítulo ya era uno de mis libros favoritos de la vida.
Quiero no olvidarlo. No quería terminarlo.
Pero lo haré. Y se acabó.
November 12, 2011
Wow, I really don't know what to say about this book. I suppose I'd say it's beautiful, but some of the horrifying and depressing parts make me wonder if 'beautiful' is a bit too inappropriate. It's a book that made me angry, sad, and somehow a little bit happy when it came full circle.
I have to say that I really love the two voices in this book. I was worried that the child voice would be too cutesy and juvenile or unbelievable, but it's incredibly accurate and makes me wish adults gave children more credit. I really did feel like I was in that 8 year old boy's mind, and remembered my own frustrations with how adults treated me at that age. It's great when contrasted against the adult voice, as it's quite jarring to go from that youthful innocence to adult sexuality and adult dramas.
The mother in this book was also really believable, and her actions remind me a lot of the despicable characters Stephen King creates in some of his books, like abusive husbands where I can't wait for them to meet a horrible end. Watching the mother's story developing was really interesting because I initially started out like this, wanting her to have a moment of clarity in her dying moments for her son to abuse her about all the horrible things she'd done.
But then as the story progressed, I began to feel sorry for her in her last few days, especially after reading the letter she'd tried to write her son over the years. And by the time she eventually died, I'd lost all those feelings of animosity toward her and may or may not have cried like a baby. D: Though I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have spent the last few chapters crying if it weren't for the cat having to be put down, I started crying during those scenes and then didn't stop! Judging by how much I cried, it was a really effective device.
I also found it interesting how much I loathed the mother for how she abused her son, because it was never outright emotional or physical abuse - it was smaller things, an almost subtle kind of neglect that really took its toll. I sat there thinking "god, she's an awful mother" but if I were to explain why she was so horrible to someone, I wouldn't be able to easily point it out.
I also adore the non-linear chronology that this book takes, I think it works well and is perfectly paced to reveal what ultimately happened to Robert and changed everything forever. I liked that the book wasn't set out so it was just a guy coming back to his hometown to deal with an emotionally abusive dying mother - it had an unusual mystery element to keep me guessing. I liked how Robert's fate was what drove the whole book, yet you're kept guessing about what really happened until 3/4 of the way through.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book, with the last few chapters having me sobbing like an absolute baby. It takes what could be a pretty generic drama storyline and turns it on its head, shaking up the chronology and using subtle plot devices for maximum impact. I didn't think this would be my kind of book when I first received it, but it's affected me quite a lot, and is probably the best that I've received through the Goodreads First Reads program so far.
If you're into dramas where a character comes back to their hometown to face their past, or even if you aren't, give this book a read. It could easily be generic and predictable, but the subtle changes really differentiate it from similar stories. And I know it certainly changed my expectations of the genre.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. My opinions aren't influenced from receiving the book for free, because if you check my first-reads shelf you'll see me having torn an author a new one before ;] A shit book will still be a shit book in the end, after all!
I have to say that I really love the two voices in this book. I was worried that the child voice would be too cutesy and juvenile or unbelievable, but it's incredibly accurate and makes me wish adults gave children more credit. I really did feel like I was in that 8 year old boy's mind, and remembered my own frustrations with how adults treated me at that age. It's great when contrasted against the adult voice, as it's quite jarring to go from that youthful innocence to adult sexuality and adult dramas.
The mother in this book was also really believable, and her actions remind me a lot of the despicable characters Stephen King creates in some of his books, like abusive husbands where I can't wait for them to meet a horrible end. Watching the mother's story developing was really interesting because I initially started out like this, wanting her to have a moment of clarity in her dying moments for her son to abuse her about all the horrible things she'd done.
But then as the story progressed, I began to feel sorry for her in her last few days, especially after reading the letter she'd tried to write her son over the years. And by the time she eventually died, I'd lost all those feelings of animosity toward her and may or may not have cried like a baby. D: Though I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have spent the last few chapters crying if it weren't for the cat having to be put down, I started crying during those scenes and then didn't stop! Judging by how much I cried, it was a really effective device.
I also found it interesting how much I loathed the mother for how she abused her son, because it was never outright emotional or physical abuse - it was smaller things, an almost subtle kind of neglect that really took its toll. I sat there thinking "god, she's an awful mother" but if I were to explain why she was so horrible to someone, I wouldn't be able to easily point it out.
I also adore the non-linear chronology that this book takes, I think it works well and is perfectly paced to reveal what ultimately happened to Robert and changed everything forever. I liked that the book wasn't set out so it was just a guy coming back to his hometown to deal with an emotionally abusive dying mother - it had an unusual mystery element to keep me guessing. I liked how Robert's fate was what drove the whole book, yet you're kept guessing about what really happened until 3/4 of the way through.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book, with the last few chapters having me sobbing like an absolute baby. It takes what could be a pretty generic drama storyline and turns it on its head, shaking up the chronology and using subtle plot devices for maximum impact. I didn't think this would be my kind of book when I first received it, but it's affected me quite a lot, and is probably the best that I've received through the Goodreads First Reads program so far.
If you're into dramas where a character comes back to their hometown to face their past, or even if you aren't, give this book a read. It could easily be generic and predictable, but the subtle changes really differentiate it from similar stories. And I know it certainly changed my expectations of the genre.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. My opinions aren't influenced from receiving the book for free, because if you check my first-reads shelf you'll see me having torn an author a new one before ;] A shit book will still be a shit book in the end, after all!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2010
Review by Bernard Ryan
Jon Bauer “Rocks In The Belly”, Scribe, rrp $34-95, pp 296.
Again we have a first novel, with a front-cover blurb by acclaimed South-African-born, lately ‘naturalised’ Australian, J. M. Coetzee. And the novel was to be launched in Melbourne Monday night by Cate Kennedy, novelist, whose work we have discussed on this program. Jon is off to a flying start and, by and large, his novel deserves it.
His is one of he most polished works of fiction I have rad this year. As is not uncommon these days, the narrative unfolds by means of two alternating voices, one the protagonist at eight years of age (and occasionally earlier) and the same person twenty years later. The boy tells his story, whereas the adult persona is represented in the third person. Interestingly we are never given the specific location for the action; Bauer is English-born but now lives in Sydney. I believe we could be in either country. More importantly it is the family home where most of the novel is set, and it is drawn with lively care. Nor are we told explicitly the name of our “hero” – though he playfully (in view of another thread in the story) introduces himself at one stage as “Michael”. His father calls him a series of nicknames (such as “sonny jim”, etc.) while his mother mostly yells at him – when not covering him in smothering embraces.
To say “Michael” is disturbed is to rush to judgment. Bauer is at his best when he speaks in the boy’s voice, depicting all the confusion, pain and want of the eight-year-old existence with great sensitivity and insight. He reasons for his lifelong anger and social isolation are revealed only gradually, but put simply the boy is extremely jealous of the serial foster children his ‘saintly’ mother brings into the family home. Incidentally, both parents are drawn with unerring authenticity.
The adult “Michael” returns – according to him – from a decade or so working as a prison officer in Canada; there is a sub-plot here that may or may not have a bearing on why he is the adult he is, depending on whether we believe him or not. It is that sort of book. You see, we have THREE stories here: firstly, there is the boy’s story, concerning the effect of his younger brother on “Michael’s” life, followed by his relationship with the foster child, Robert. Secondly, the adult “Michael”, home to nurse his dying mother. Finally, the same “Michael’s” relationship with a girl, Patricia, and an old man, Reg. The three strands are carefully interwoven and the drama keeps coming. This is not a read for the faint-hearted for, while there are no shocks, this “Michael” is a difficult fellow to like. The question is: can we empathise with him? I definitely found it difficult to SYMPATHISE with him. This raises the usual question: does the novel have resolution? Don’t look for a happy ending, listeners– but DO read this book. Bauer is a very promising newcomer and I look forward to his next offering.
Well worth reading: better than ***. (Call me a fence-sitter!)
Jon Bauer “Rocks In The Belly”, Scribe, rrp $34-95, pp 296.
Again we have a first novel, with a front-cover blurb by acclaimed South-African-born, lately ‘naturalised’ Australian, J. M. Coetzee. And the novel was to be launched in Melbourne Monday night by Cate Kennedy, novelist, whose work we have discussed on this program. Jon is off to a flying start and, by and large, his novel deserves it.
His is one of he most polished works of fiction I have rad this year. As is not uncommon these days, the narrative unfolds by means of two alternating voices, one the protagonist at eight years of age (and occasionally earlier) and the same person twenty years later. The boy tells his story, whereas the adult persona is represented in the third person. Interestingly we are never given the specific location for the action; Bauer is English-born but now lives in Sydney. I believe we could be in either country. More importantly it is the family home where most of the novel is set, and it is drawn with lively care. Nor are we told explicitly the name of our “hero” – though he playfully (in view of another thread in the story) introduces himself at one stage as “Michael”. His father calls him a series of nicknames (such as “sonny jim”, etc.) while his mother mostly yells at him – when not covering him in smothering embraces.
To say “Michael” is disturbed is to rush to judgment. Bauer is at his best when he speaks in the boy’s voice, depicting all the confusion, pain and want of the eight-year-old existence with great sensitivity and insight. He reasons for his lifelong anger and social isolation are revealed only gradually, but put simply the boy is extremely jealous of the serial foster children his ‘saintly’ mother brings into the family home. Incidentally, both parents are drawn with unerring authenticity.
The adult “Michael” returns – according to him – from a decade or so working as a prison officer in Canada; there is a sub-plot here that may or may not have a bearing on why he is the adult he is, depending on whether we believe him or not. It is that sort of book. You see, we have THREE stories here: firstly, there is the boy’s story, concerning the effect of his younger brother on “Michael’s” life, followed by his relationship with the foster child, Robert. Secondly, the adult “Michael”, home to nurse his dying mother. Finally, the same “Michael’s” relationship with a girl, Patricia, and an old man, Reg. The three strands are carefully interwoven and the drama keeps coming. This is not a read for the faint-hearted for, while there are no shocks, this “Michael” is a difficult fellow to like. The question is: can we empathise with him? I definitely found it difficult to SYMPATHISE with him. This raises the usual question: does the novel have resolution? Don’t look for a happy ending, listeners– but DO read this book. Bauer is a very promising newcomer and I look forward to his next offering.
Well worth reading: better than ***. (Call me a fence-sitter!)
January 10, 2012
I listened to the audiobook of Rocks in the Belly, which was read by the author, and I must say that he weaves a compelling tale.
The POV swings between the 8 year old child of parents who forster an endless string of boys, to the 28 year old who has returned to care for his terminally ill mother with the hopes that he will vindicate himself of the years his mother treated him more like a second-class citizen while she lavishes the broken children with her affection.
His story was a rollercoaster of emotion for me. At times I wanted to curl my arms around a child desperately seeking approval and left feeling like "he was the adopted child in the family" while other times during his jealous outbursts and cruelty I wanted to smack his bum and explain to him why children should not behave in that manner.
Perhaps his parents deserved a slap for allowing this behaviour to fester, a mother who should have been more obvious with the affection for her son, and a father who should have cultivated correct behaviour for his son and not just swept his outbursts under the rug.
I do want to think out loud here and say....how could 2 people not see the effect of their actions on their own child?
As an adult I wanted to slap the stuffing out him (his name was never reveiled apart from pseudo-names he gave himself from time to time including that of Michael when he felt the need) with the way he treated people and abused his ailling mother. I realise that his actions as an adult were partly a reflection of the childhood that molded him. I still could not come to feel much sympathy, especially when he played the "my-mums-dying" emotional card whenever the situation suited him.
The POV swings between the 8 year old child of parents who forster an endless string of boys, to the 28 year old who has returned to care for his terminally ill mother with the hopes that he will vindicate himself of the years his mother treated him more like a second-class citizen while she lavishes the broken children with her affection.
His story was a rollercoaster of emotion for me. At times I wanted to curl my arms around a child desperately seeking approval and left feeling like "he was the adopted child in the family" while other times during his jealous outbursts and cruelty I wanted to smack his bum and explain to him why children should not behave in that manner.
Perhaps his parents deserved a slap for allowing this behaviour to fester, a mother who should have been more obvious with the affection for her son, and a father who should have cultivated correct behaviour for his son and not just swept his outbursts under the rug.
I do want to think out loud here and say....how could 2 people not see the effect of their actions on their own child?
As an adult I wanted to slap the stuffing out him (his name was never reveiled apart from pseudo-names he gave himself from time to time including that of Michael when he felt the need) with the way he treated people and abused his ailling mother. I realise that his actions as an adult were partly a reflection of the childhood that molded him. I still could not come to feel much sympathy, especially when he played the "my-mums-dying" emotional card whenever the situation suited him.
August 11, 2012
Rocks in the Belly is narrated by an eight year old boy, an only child desperate for his parents' affections. His mother brings in foster boys which incites a fierce and sometimes dark jealousy. Possessive of his mother's attention, her son does whatever he can to monopolise her affections and when Robert joins their family, all this is set to escalate.
Originally from the UK, but now an Australian citizen living in Melbourne, it's hard to believe this is Jon Bauer's first novel. I read a sample chapter in Good Reading Magazine a long time ago and I recall it had me hooked right away.
The reader never learns the name of the troubled young boy in Rocks in the Belly, however his observations are unique and dark, strangely youthful and sometimes quite funny. Offsetting the humour are unexpected sociopathic thoughts and shocking behaviour that reminded me of movies like The Good Son.
Interspersed between the chapters we meet the young boy as an adult, returning to the family home to look after his mother in the very last stages of a terminal illness, her mind almost lost to a brain tumour. The two of them together dance around the shadows of the past slowly revealing to the reader the shocking events of years ago.
This is an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed the sections narrated by the young boy, they were piercing and unpredictable and definitely kept the pace flying along. I'd definitely recommend Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer; the young character is likely to stick with you for a while afterwards.
Originally from the UK, but now an Australian citizen living in Melbourne, it's hard to believe this is Jon Bauer's first novel. I read a sample chapter in Good Reading Magazine a long time ago and I recall it had me hooked right away.
The reader never learns the name of the troubled young boy in Rocks in the Belly, however his observations are unique and dark, strangely youthful and sometimes quite funny. Offsetting the humour are unexpected sociopathic thoughts and shocking behaviour that reminded me of movies like The Good Son.
Interspersed between the chapters we meet the young boy as an adult, returning to the family home to look after his mother in the very last stages of a terminal illness, her mind almost lost to a brain tumour. The two of them together dance around the shadows of the past slowly revealing to the reader the shocking events of years ago.
This is an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed the sections narrated by the young boy, they were piercing and unpredictable and definitely kept the pace flying along. I'd definitely recommend Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer; the young character is likely to stick with you for a while afterwards.
January 7, 2015
"Meine Kindheit lauert in mir, wie geballte Fäuste in meinen Händen lauern"
Jon Bauer gibt in seinem Debütroman die erdrückende und von Selbstzweifeln geprägte Kindheit des Ich-Erzählers wieder und erzählt von den Narben, welche diese in seinem Leben hinterlassen hat.
Den Namen des Protagonisten erfährt man nicht – bei neuen Bekanntschaften stellt er sich als „Michael“ vor. Nach jahrelangem Aufenthalt in Kanada, kehrt der 28-jährige Ich-Erzähler in sein Elternhaus zurück, um seine kranke Mutter zu pflegen. Der wiederaufgenommene Kontakt zu ihr und die erdrückende Atmosphäre des Hauses lassen ihn erneut prägende Momente seiner Kindheit durchleben.
Der Protagonist ist Einzelkind, jedoch nahm seine Mutter immer wieder neue Pflegejungen auf und schürte damit Selbstzweifel und Eifersucht mit denen ihr Sohn anschließend zu kämpfen hatte. Als der Pflegejunge Robert in die Familie kam und der Liebling der Mutter wurde, nahm diese Eifersucht schließlich extreme Züge an.
Präzise, und unzensiert beschreibt Jon Bauer die kindliche Psyche – wie wehrlos sie ist und wie schnell sie Narben fürs Leben annimmt.
Ein sprachgewaltiger Roman über die Hilflosigkeit eines Kindes und der Frage, ob man gut genug ist.
Jon Bauer gibt in seinem Debütroman die erdrückende und von Selbstzweifeln geprägte Kindheit des Ich-Erzählers wieder und erzählt von den Narben, welche diese in seinem Leben hinterlassen hat.
Den Namen des Protagonisten erfährt man nicht – bei neuen Bekanntschaften stellt er sich als „Michael“ vor. Nach jahrelangem Aufenthalt in Kanada, kehrt der 28-jährige Ich-Erzähler in sein Elternhaus zurück, um seine kranke Mutter zu pflegen. Der wiederaufgenommene Kontakt zu ihr und die erdrückende Atmosphäre des Hauses lassen ihn erneut prägende Momente seiner Kindheit durchleben.
Der Protagonist ist Einzelkind, jedoch nahm seine Mutter immer wieder neue Pflegejungen auf und schürte damit Selbstzweifel und Eifersucht mit denen ihr Sohn anschließend zu kämpfen hatte. Als der Pflegejunge Robert in die Familie kam und der Liebling der Mutter wurde, nahm diese Eifersucht schließlich extreme Züge an.
Präzise, und unzensiert beschreibt Jon Bauer die kindliche Psyche – wie wehrlos sie ist und wie schnell sie Narben fürs Leben annimmt.
Ein sprachgewaltiger Roman über die Hilflosigkeit eines Kindes und der Frage, ob man gut genug ist.
December 7, 2011
I don't think it would be possible to read this book and not have some kind of reaction - whether it be tears, anger, disgust or whatever.
Unnamed, unlikeable narrator.
Unnamed, unlikeable narrator.
July 13, 2024
Vreemd boek. Kom er ook na maanden lezen nogsteeds niet doorheen, voor nu ga ik deze dus ook niet uitlezen.
August 27, 2010
From the back cover:
How far can you push a child? Rocks in the Belly is about a precocious eight-year-old boy and the volatile adult he becomes. During childhood his mother fosters boys, despite the jealous turmoil it arouses in her son. Jealousy that reaches unmanageable proportions when she fosters Robert, an amiable child she can't help bonding with. Until the bond triggers an event that profoundly changes everyone. Especially Robert. At twenty-eight the son returns to face his mother. He hasn't forgiven her for what happened to Robert. But now she's the dependent one and he the dominant force, a power he can't help but abuse. Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the destruction we wreak on one another in the pursuit of our own happiness; how we never escape our upbringing; and a stark reminder that the most dangerous place for a child is with the family.
Review:
It's going to be really hard to review this book without giving away spoilers - the sequence of the revelations of information is essential to the telling of this story, so I'm going to try to give it the best review I can without telling too much. This starts off as such an uncomfortable read, it was so dark and confronting. Rocks in the Belly is told from the son's two voices - the eight year old and the twenty-eight year old. The son never holds back in his narration, we hear every thought he has, openly and honestly with no attempts to soften the reality of the events. And the events are utterly unpalatable, and the kind of thing that we want to shy away from and ignore or re-tell differently trying to put a positive spin on them so they become more comfortable. I feel like I should be repulsed by the whole thing, and yet somehow, in writing with this honesty, Jon Bauer has created a series of moments that I couldn't help but feel deep heartache and compassion for the characters.
We never discover the name of the son, which is a really interesting juxtaposition in that the son tells and shows us who he is, completely, without shielding anything from the reader, and yet by not telling his name he keeps some essential part of himself secret. But also, and probably what makes this such an uncomfortable read, is that by not telling us his name, as a reader we identify with him and put ourselves in his narration instead.
The final scenes of the book, in which resolutions (of sorts) occur, are equally as powerful and are as heartrending as the dark events are gut-wrenching. In comparison to other brutally honest narration (such as The Slap) this one has so much more feeling to it, much more than just a snapshot or an examination of how damaged and damaging human beings can be. This is a story of how beautiful that damage is.
How far can you push a child? Rocks in the Belly is about a precocious eight-year-old boy and the volatile adult he becomes. During childhood his mother fosters boys, despite the jealous turmoil it arouses in her son. Jealousy that reaches unmanageable proportions when she fosters Robert, an amiable child she can't help bonding with. Until the bond triggers an event that profoundly changes everyone. Especially Robert. At twenty-eight the son returns to face his mother. He hasn't forgiven her for what happened to Robert. But now she's the dependent one and he the dominant force, a power he can't help but abuse. Written in two startlingly original voices, Rocks in the Belly is about the destruction we wreak on one another in the pursuit of our own happiness; how we never escape our upbringing; and a stark reminder that the most dangerous place for a child is with the family.
Review:
It's going to be really hard to review this book without giving away spoilers - the sequence of the revelations of information is essential to the telling of this story, so I'm going to try to give it the best review I can without telling too much. This starts off as such an uncomfortable read, it was so dark and confronting. Rocks in the Belly is told from the son's two voices - the eight year old and the twenty-eight year old. The son never holds back in his narration, we hear every thought he has, openly and honestly with no attempts to soften the reality of the events. And the events are utterly unpalatable, and the kind of thing that we want to shy away from and ignore or re-tell differently trying to put a positive spin on them so they become more comfortable. I feel like I should be repulsed by the whole thing, and yet somehow, in writing with this honesty, Jon Bauer has created a series of moments that I couldn't help but feel deep heartache and compassion for the characters.
We never discover the name of the son, which is a really interesting juxtaposition in that the son tells and shows us who he is, completely, without shielding anything from the reader, and yet by not telling his name he keeps some essential part of himself secret. But also, and probably what makes this such an uncomfortable read, is that by not telling us his name, as a reader we identify with him and put ourselves in his narration instead.
The final scenes of the book, in which resolutions (of sorts) occur, are equally as powerful and are as heartrending as the dark events are gut-wrenching. In comparison to other brutally honest narration (such as The Slap) this one has so much more feeling to it, much more than just a snapshot or an examination of how damaged and damaging human beings can be. This is a story of how beautiful that damage is.
February 4, 2013
MEET THE LOCALS: JON BAUER
I remember first encountering Jon Bauer in a session, with Fiona McGregor, at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival on writing about mothers. As you know, this is a topic that continues to engage me (on many levels) and I was intrigued because it was unusual to have a male panellist (a refreshing change, actually), and he spoke eloquently about writing female characters.
After his debut novel, Rocks in the Belly, was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (2012) and won the Indie Award for Debut Fiction (2011) it became one of the first books I downloaded onto my Kindle. A mistake, I now realise, because I want to share the damn thing with everyone!
It’s a stark and brooding novel with a mesmerising and seductive mix of young boy and adult male voices. Reading through responses on Goodreads, it’s one of those love/hate books, the kind I think I want to write. I mean, really, does anyone just want an indifferent response? If you’re willing to trust the author to take you on a dark journey, this one is beautifully structured and carefully constructed. As Jon intended, it embraces and then repels you.
Jon has written a couple of great articles for Newswrite magazine — on the author Ray Bradbury (who recently passed away); and on the art of researching the second novel — and shortly after moving here, I heard he was also heading to town, to a little village called Chewton just out of Castlemaine. I spoke to him about the move (he started off in the UK) and how he goes about writing such memorable fiction.
Read the whole interview/review at Wild Colonial Girl blog:
http://wildcolonialgirl.wordpress.com...
I remember first encountering Jon Bauer in a session, with Fiona McGregor, at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival on writing about mothers. As you know, this is a topic that continues to engage me (on many levels) and I was intrigued because it was unusual to have a male panellist (a refreshing change, actually), and he spoke eloquently about writing female characters.
After his debut novel, Rocks in the Belly, was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (2012) and won the Indie Award for Debut Fiction (2011) it became one of the first books I downloaded onto my Kindle. A mistake, I now realise, because I want to share the damn thing with everyone!
It’s a stark and brooding novel with a mesmerising and seductive mix of young boy and adult male voices. Reading through responses on Goodreads, it’s one of those love/hate books, the kind I think I want to write. I mean, really, does anyone just want an indifferent response? If you’re willing to trust the author to take you on a dark journey, this one is beautifully structured and carefully constructed. As Jon intended, it embraces and then repels you.
Jon has written a couple of great articles for Newswrite magazine — on the author Ray Bradbury (who recently passed away); and on the art of researching the second novel — and shortly after moving here, I heard he was also heading to town, to a little village called Chewton just out of Castlemaine. I spoke to him about the move (he started off in the UK) and how he goes about writing such memorable fiction.
Read the whole interview/review at Wild Colonial Girl blog:
http://wildcolonialgirl.wordpress.com...
March 27, 2011
Rocks in the Belly tells the story of a disturbed child and the troubled, vengeful man he becomes. The book is written jointly by the child who, arguably, is not born bad but becomes bad through the torment of having to share the love of his parents with foster children, and the man who lives with the repercussions of this jealousy and anger. At its very essence Rocks in the Belly details the conflict between the robot and the monster in their struggle to be loved.
It is deeply confronting - at times so intense I needed to put it down while other times it was like rubbernecking at a car crash - discomforting, yet I couldn't look away. But it was the humanity that kept me there, even when that humanity was twisted and cruel. As well as the hugely evocative and original settings and situations.
Written by a lesser hand this book may have been too much to bear, but the voice is so wonderful, even when the protagonists are not. Running the gamut of emotions--horror, terror, sadness and occasional moments of sweetness and pity, Rocks in the Belly is a challenging yet ultimately rewarding read and a brilliant first novel.
It is deeply confronting - at times so intense I needed to put it down while other times it was like rubbernecking at a car crash - discomforting, yet I couldn't look away. But it was the humanity that kept me there, even when that humanity was twisted and cruel. As well as the hugely evocative and original settings and situations.
Written by a lesser hand this book may have been too much to bear, but the voice is so wonderful, even when the protagonists are not. Running the gamut of emotions--horror, terror, sadness and occasional moments of sweetness and pity, Rocks in the Belly is a challenging yet ultimately rewarding read and a brilliant first novel.
May 26, 2013
This is a story about how a deeply troubled family produces a deeply troubled child. Our unnamed narrator is the biological son of a fostering family but feels that the foster children are treated better than he is. The family receives a permanent addition after a tragedy involving one of the foster boys leaves him gravely disabled. This story is juxtaposed with the grown up narrator “caring” for his mother, now suffering from brain cancer and dying. Overall, the characters seem to be high caricature and have very little depth. The narrator and the mother are extremely unlikable characters which make sustaining interest in the plot difficult. The scarcity of genuine emotion or humour fail to alleviate the heavy premise - which bears down suffocatingly often. If this were a real life account of someone's childhood I think that it would be hailed as a masterpiece exposé of the psychology of troubled children. Sadly, each decision the characters make steadily becomes farcical and appears to be solely to expand the plot. These downfalls leave the characters unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2011
This is a debut novel which raises many questions about the human condition. Our narrator is both a boy and a grown man and during his childhood his parents choose to foster children. When Robert comes into their home this causes fits of jealousy and difficult sadistic behaviour that one day results in a tragic event. In alternate chapters we are in the present with the troubled and angry young man who returns home to face his ailing mother.
Throughout the narrator remains nameless which is a powerful device. This would make an excellent discussion choice as it raises questions about the potential for good and evil in us all. Do the circumstances of childhood and parenting play a role in which of these traits will dominate?
I found this very unsettling and a challenge to read but worth the time as it gives much food for thought!
Throughout the narrator remains nameless which is a powerful device. This would make an excellent discussion choice as it raises questions about the potential for good and evil in us all. Do the circumstances of childhood and parenting play a role in which of these traits will dominate?
I found this very unsettling and a challenge to read but worth the time as it gives much food for thought!
January 20, 2016
This book is going to be a very good choice for book group discussion! Rocks in the Belly is Jon Bauer’s first novel, and it raises all kinds of issues to test the passions of its readers…
To see my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/201...
To see my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/201...
March 12, 2013
An easy to read & quite well written book but a bit too dark for me. I found it difficult to identify with the main character who is not at all likeable. I spent a lot of the book wondering what mental illness he was suffering from! Turns out he was just selfish & masochistic.
August 19, 2011
I admire his writing but I disliked the main character so much that I couldn't really enjoy the read.
October 8, 2013
Too troubling. Can't finish. Very well written.
January 1, 2011
A well written book, but I struggled greatly with the nasty man that the nasty boy grew into.
January 18, 2018
4.5 star rating.
A dark family drama that explores the fragmented, complex relationship between mother and son. The story is told from the perspective on an unnammed narrator and switches back an forth from him in the present day and him at 8 years old. I found Bauer's depiction of the mother and son relationship to be very realistic and his perspective of an 8-year old very authentic. As much as I enjoyed this book I strongly disliked the narrator, I could not sympathise with him despite having an understanding of his difficult upbringing. On the other side, I was able to sympathise with the mother throughout the story, and understand her need to foster children to bring a sense of purpose to her life, to overcome her grief and perhaps fill a void that mothering her one son was not able to fill. In saying this, I felt for the 8-year old narrator and his apparent need for attention, and emotional and physical intimacy his mother neglected to give him. Overall, this is a beautifully written novel that has the ability to take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster and I'm sure will be one that will stay with me.
A dark family drama that explores the fragmented, complex relationship between mother and son. The story is told from the perspective on an unnammed narrator and switches back an forth from him in the present day and him at 8 years old. I found Bauer's depiction of the mother and son relationship to be very realistic and his perspective of an 8-year old very authentic. As much as I enjoyed this book I strongly disliked the narrator, I could not sympathise with him despite having an understanding of his difficult upbringing. On the other side, I was able to sympathise with the mother throughout the story, and understand her need to foster children to bring a sense of purpose to her life, to overcome her grief and perhaps fill a void that mothering her one son was not able to fill. In saying this, I felt for the 8-year old narrator and his apparent need for attention, and emotional and physical intimacy his mother neglected to give him. Overall, this is a beautifully written novel that has the ability to take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster and I'm sure will be one that will stay with me.
August 12, 2018
I listened to this as an audio book narrated by Bauer. Told in two alternating, but convincingly accurate voices, an 8 year old and then as a 28 year old, this is the story of a (nameless) child of parents who foster boys. His heartbreak at not being enough for his parents (why do they need other children?) manifests in bad (pretty psychopathic) behaviour- cruelty to animals, bed wetting, lying and so on. When one of these incidents goes wrong, his foster brother, Robert, suffers irreversible damage.
20 years on and the demons are still haunting him. This is an incredibly sad, haunting and psychological book (there’s definite tinges of Easton Ellis’ American Psycho here) about the basic human need of being loved and knowing you are enough and the desperate anger and sadness that rages to the surface when you think you’re not.
20 years on and the demons are still haunting him. This is an incredibly sad, haunting and psychological book (there’s definite tinges of Easton Ellis’ American Psycho here) about the basic human need of being loved and knowing you are enough and the desperate anger and sadness that rages to the surface when you think you’re not.
October 4, 2017
This book was a terrific read (or in my case, listen). The author performed the reading on the audio book, which I always enjoy as I feel like I am getting a true experience of their intention. Jon Bauer's reading was engaging and I found it easy to slip into both the child and the adult's world. The child's perspective resonated as authentic and realistic, although - disclaimer: I have never been an eight year old boy :-) . I struggled at times with the adult's reflections, actions and choices, but I think that was more about me than the character, tempo or narrative. I usually judge books by the impact they have on my heart and this one struck many chords. I am grateful for the experience of reading/listening to it.
March 28, 2018
Het debuut van Jon Bauer... Ik ben er stil van. Wat een beklemmend, adembenemend verhaal! Hoe naar de hoofdpersoon zich ook gedraagt, je kunt niet anders dan begrijpen waar zijn gedrag vandaan komt. Het is niet alleen zijn persoonlijkheid zoals hij die 'meekreeg' bij zijn geboorte, maar ook wie hij is geworden. En vooral waarom. Hij is zo alleenzaam, zoals hij het zelf uitdrukt. Ik heb medelijden met hem als kind en als volwassene, en verafschuw en begrijp hem tegelijkertijd. Bauer schrijft het zo goed. Verwarrend. Pfffff. Ik ben er stil van.
May 19, 2024
I was bowled over by the way internal thoughts were expressed, by the main character (8 year old boy), and actually kind of shocked by it too. This is a story about a woman (& her husband) fostering children and the ongoing jealousy by their one and only natural child - his mother decided she wanted to foster children after she lost a baby. The stark reality of the boy’s emotional upheaval is palpable; I couldn’t put this book down.
December 18, 2024
Wow - powerful and emotional. This makes for grim reading: mother dying of brain cancer; emotional abuse of a child; animal abuse; foster children. But just so so well written. The character development is incredible. every character has their good and bad points (although usually more of the latter than the former). Amazing read.
November 27, 2025
This one was a tough read, quite depressing really. The concept was a great one, and the characters were complex, but there wasn't enough there to say I enjoyed it, even though I normally like dark reads.
May 15, 2019
Unfortunately I couldn't finish it. It hurt my heart to much and literally put rocks in my belly.
July 20, 2020
Wauw. Ik heb het zó lang uitgesteld om aan dit boek te beginnen, maar wat een boek. Ondanks de moeizame hechting aan de hoofdpersoon vond ik het echt geweldig geschreven!
November 12, 2020
A quite dark but disturbingly beautiful book.
January 23, 2021
A dark and disturbing story about a relationship between mother and her mentally ill son. Very poignant and frustrating but extremely well written.
January 26, 2024
Waanzinnig! Zou willen dat ik ‘m opnieuw voor het eerst kon lezen.
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