Rocco

Rocco Makepeace is just another ordinary guy, with a senile grandmother and an annoying younger sister, until the dreams begin. By the end of chapter two, he finds himself transported to the Valley of Anshur, a primitive society presided over by the mysterious Ayoshe, who understands Rocco so well that he assumes she is a witch. Unable to get home, Rocco gradually becomes part of Anshur society, making friends and enemies there, and advancing their technology.

The characters in this book are strikingly realistic, and the ways in which they relate to each other make them seem just like anybody’s ordinary family- jealousy, anxiety, attraction and weariness are all woven together into the tale.

In his unfamiliar new territory, Rocco must show more learn to adapt to the Anshur way of living; from hunting unknown wildlife with spear and bow, to respecting the seriousness of the customs he could not have known anything about. Likewise, the people must adapt to him; learning from him, accepting his indecipherable comments about electrical appliances, and allowing him to shave in peace.

Rocco makes a number of assumptions about Anshur and its people when he first arrives, and the reader is often as surprised as Rocco himself to discover the mistakes he has made. There are a number of unexpected twists to the plot, mostly to do with Rocco’s perceptions of Ayoshe.

This book is expertly structured, the majority set in Anshur framed by a short sections at the beginning and end set in the present day, or maybe a year or two from now.
One of the main ideas of the book is that “our greatest achievements are begun with the most insignificant acts”, an idea which brings the story to its unexpected conclusion, and which I have thought about often in the 15+ years since I first read this marvellous story.

Having read the book at least five times, there are still sections which make me laugh out loud, like when the young men start playing practical jokes on each other; and I usually shed a tear when I read the passage where Rocco grieves for a character who has died.

I believe the book holds equal appeal for a male or female reader, from the ages of 10 upwards. show less

Rocco is the first book that I can remember making me cry. It's always a bit of a gamble to revisit books that had such a strong hold over you at some stage in life, because if it doesn't still - it's bound to be a let-down.

While it couldn't completely live up to my expectations, it fortunately came very, very close, so I only had to down-scale my rating from 5 to 4 stars. It's an interesting story, and powerfully written. I could have wished for it to be a bit longer and slightly more complex, as it is very obvious that it's written with an YA audience in mind. On the other hand, if Rocco had stayed longer in Anshur, I think the book would have ended up being even more painful to read.

A quick read - I finished in in 2 hours - and a show more pleasant revisit. show less

Hoe heerlijk is het om vijftien te zijn. Haat en liefde, geluk en verdriet en een boodschap aan het einde ... (De oorspronkelijke titel is overigens wel een afknapper: Rocco!)