Rockblack 0-10

As a Gibraltarian ex-pat in London, I enjoyed reading the review of this book by Jackiegirl. The title of this book is Rock Black 0-10, not Rockblack 0-10. I found it an enjoyable read as it shed light on certain aspects of Gibraltarian life that have hardly been documented in the past. Like jackiegirl, I agree that there is a lot of authorial opinions which can sometimes be a bit distracting. Also, my other criticism is that there are no real female characters. In fact, I will go one step further: it is the sort of book that will probably be more appreciated by male rather than female readers. What I don't agree with is that the book could have been set in any european city. In my opinion, it is above everything else a Gibraltarian book - in the sense that themes, characters, and settings are all inextricably linked to the rock. It is also very well written. M. G. Sanchez's prose style is very sharp and incisive (although a bit dark at times) and i had to stop myself from laughing aloud at times. it is a shame that the book does not appear to have been very well marketed in the uk. I tried looking for it at a well-known shop in london and i couldn't find it. That, for me, is a bit disappointing, as i think it is important that more people outside gibraltar know what gibraltarians have had to put up from the english and spanish governments in the last few decades. But anyways...

The common theme of this collection of stories is the depiction of life in Gibraltar in the run up to the end of the milennium. Grounded in realis, sometimes humorous, often dark, Mark Sanchez creates a series of characters and charicatures that come alive in hard-hitting, occasionally emotive language, and that, but for the uniqueness of their Gibraltarian personalities, could have been found in most inner cities of Europe. An enjoyable read, where my only criticism is the author's occasional tendency to use the medium as a soapbox for his opinions, although, these, nontheless, carry the validity of what appears to be personal experience.