Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer

Rocks in the Belly

Jon Bauer

The story is told through the voice of an 8 year old boy and the adult he becomes. As a child, his parents are foster-carers, giving a home to boys in need, despite the jealousy this arouses in their only son. This jealousy becomes increasingly violent and unmanageable when 12 year old Robert joins the family. Definitely not a comfortable read - and it sticks in your mind for ages afterwards.

Extract
I used to tell people I was a foster child even though I was the only one in our home who wasn't fostered. And now I'm supposedly a man, everything about me is still fostered - my country, the history I tell people. I can't even bring myself to belong to my own childhood .... It doesn't matter where you go, or what you do with your feelings, your truth lies in wait. My childhood haunting me in much the same way my fists haunt my hands.
Parallels
  • How the Trouble started by Robert Williams
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Violence
Explicit sexual Content