The Rocks

Set on the Spanish island of Mallorca between 1948 and 2005, British author Peter Nichols’s novel The Rocks (2014) tells an intergenerational story that is presented in reverse, with the exception of the final chapter. According to USA Today, The Rocks is "amiably erudite" and "ingeniously structured."

The book begins in 2005 with the deaths of Lulu and Gerald, two octogenarians who were married for a brief period in the 1940s. Though healthy for their age, a recent stroke has caused Lulu to swear incessantly. Lulu owns the Rocks, a seaside resort on the island of Mallorca. Gerald lives on the island in an olive grove he purchased a few miles from the Rocks, though he and Lulu have, nevertheless, managed to avoid one another for years with only a handful of exceptions. They exchange harsh words with one another over a mysterious event that occurred almost sixty years ago on their honeymoon. Gerald repeatedly tells Lulu to "develop the film" before the two of them engage in a physical confrontation that results in them rolling into the grass and off a cliff to their deaths.

After World War II, Gerald meets Lulu and they fall madly in love. They spend their honeymoon off the coast of Greece, but a tragedy forever wrecks Lulu's trust in Gerald, and they end their marriage as quickly as it began. Although they barely ever see each other, each time they do, Gerald tells her to "develop the film," suggesting that there is some footage from their honeymoon that will make her realize he did not betray her trust.



Gerald’s daughter, Aegina, and Lulu’s son, Luc, both grow up on the island, becoming friends with one another, despite their parents’ fractious relationship. Luc has been in love with Aegina ever since they were children, but for years, he never feels the time is right to tell her how he feels. This is made more complicated when Aegina is fourteen and her mother dies. After smoking marijuana to help deal with her grief, Aegina offers herself sexually to Luc. She tells him she is a virgin and that she would like him to take her virginity. Luc feels uncomfortable about this. He doesn't want their first time to be under these circumstances. Furthermore, he believes that Aegina is in an impaired state, and therefore it would be wrong for him to have sex with her. Unfortunately, his refusal inadvertently leads to Aegina being raped by a man named Dominick.

It's years later before Luc can forgive himself and finally tell Aegina he loves her. When he does so, they are on a trip to Morocco. The confession goes well until Luc stupidly sabotages any chance of a relationship with Aegina by having sex with a fellow tourist. Aegina feels she can never forgive Luc for this. Nevertheless, they remain friends. One day, the two are arrested when it is revealed that the car they are riding in is smuggling drugs. Gerald goes to the jail but is unsuccessful at bailing Luc and Aegina out. He keeps trying for a week until Lulu arrives, successfully managing to convince the police to release both Luc and Aegina. Lulu coldly berates Gerald for his inability to secure their release himself.

Shortly thereafter, Luc and Aegina build lives for themselves separate from one another. Luc spends years toiling on screenplays for movies that nobody sees. Aegina marries a wealthy businessman, Fergus, whom she does not love. Depressed, Luc joins his colleague Szabo for a party on Szabo's yacht off the coast. While on the yacht, Szabo convinces Luc to abandon the heady themes of his latest screenplay in favor of something more commercial. Luc sees Fergus cheating on Aegina. The shocking sight throws him off balance, and he falls into the water, nearly drowning. The yacht abandons him and he is stranded in the water for hours. Lulu rescues him. Despite the fact that Lulu vowed never to set foot on another boat after the trauma of her honeymoon, she faces her fears and hires a captain to help her find her son.



Luc's new screenplay is a huge hit. Despite abandoning what he considers his best writing in favor of more commercial dreck, the success brings him a degree of happiness, particularly considering Lulu's constant disappointment with his career. Meanwhile, Aegina divorces Fergus and focuses on her art and her emotional well-being. She also accompanies Gerald to the release party in London of a book of photography he published long ago that is now being reissued. However, the event is too emotionally taxing for Gerald who is reminded by the seaside photos of his honeymoon and lost love.

In the end, the honeymoon trauma is finally revealed. Newlyweds Gerald and Lulu swim naked from their boat to a beach. There, they are accosted by a group of Italian Guardia, one of whom takes Lulu into a cave and sexually assaults her. Lulu believes that Gerald had abandoned her, but in reality, he is responsible for distracting the guard, allowing Lulu to escape. The undeveloped roll of film offers proof of this, though Lulu spends her whole life refusing to view it. Another flashback shows Luc and Aegina playing in the waves without a care in the world. At the very end of the novel, the scene of Gerald and Lulu's death is revisited. Dying, Gerald holds an unconscious Lulu in his arms, promising to keep her safe.

The Rocks is an emotional tale of lost love, smartly framed as a mystery story.