Isabel and Rocco

Isabel and Rocco

by Anna Stothard (Author)

Synopsis

My brother Rocco doesn't understand what I mean when I say that pleasure is polluted after the first time. I realize it can get more intense, but it doesn't get any better. Taking refuge in the attic room they have always shared, Isabel and Rocco spend their days eavesdropping on their parents' turbulent relationship, dissecting the intricacies of London life and discovering for themselves the 'first times' which will gradually pull them away from the simplicity of childhood. But when their parents suddenly and inexplicably abandon them, Isabel and Rocco find themselves alone - and free from the rules and restrictions of the adult world. As the house around them slowly begins to disintegrate, so too do the lines between adolescence and experience, and brother and sister retreat further and further from the threatening outside world. But when crisis looms, their ever-growing dependency on each other is put to the ultimate test.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Edition: First Thus
Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Published: 03 Apr 2003

ISBN 10: 0099443325
ISBN 13: 9780099443322
Book Overview: An astonishing debut novel in the tradition of LORD OF THE FLIES and Ian McEwan's THE CEMENT GARDEN- - the compelling story of a brother, a sister and a dangerous love affair.

Media Reviews
'Stothard's claustrophobic and compelling atmosphere of sadistic sexual fizz between her two main characters keeps the reader gripped' -- The Times
'The novel is ultimately a dark description of adolescence -- surly and oversexed, vulnerable and murderous... it is remarkably accomplished' -- The Observer
'Hypnotic, transgressive and enclosed... the quality of the writing is remarkable. Stothard gives Isabel a feverish lucidity which makes her see the truth but balk at knowing it.' -- Helen Dunmore
'She beats the young Francoise Sagan to pulp. She takes the everyday and turns it into something urgent, wondrous and alarmingly erotic. Is Camden Town really like this? Yes. See how she breathes new life into old literature.' -- Fay Weldon
Author Bio
Anna Stothard was born in 1983. She is currently spending her gap year in Italy and China before going up to Oxford in autumn 2003.