Customer Reviews

Taking Apart the Poco Poco

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Set in the Manchester suburbs of Stockport, this novel follows a day in the life of a typical family by following each of the four members (and the dog) throughout the course of a Thursday. Assistant bank manager John Clarke heads off to work as per usual, and contends with broken windshield wipers, the temptations of adultery, the task of confronting his boss, the need to buy a wedding anniversary gift, and the sneaking suspicion that everyone around him knows something he doesn't. Meanwhile, his wife Margaret attempts to conduct her normal business (walking the dog, a visit to John's father, a jog), in an attempt to keep the terror of an impending breast clinic exam at bay. Their teenage daughter Ann bunks off from school to ride in a van with three evangelical Christian classmates to a "hoe down" out in the country. Alas, the van does not cooperate fully, and her holier-than-thou companions exhibit rather lax moral discipline. Adolescent Stephen is distracted from his normal routine, and ends up on a bus with a strange wino. Stephen's imagination blurs the boundaries of reality and dream, and his meanderings take on an almost deranged quality. Finally, Raymond the dog's inner thoughts are rendered in fantastic and hilarious detail, as he contends with an empty food bowl, tantalizing scents, a mocking squirrel, and finally, freedom. It's a very gentle story, one in which each family member encounters choices and obstacles, and negotiates them in their own way, arriving back home at the end. On the whole, the book isn't particularly noteworthy, although the sections written from the perspective of the dog are very funny and will appeal to dog lovers. Note: The Poco Poco of the title was a dancehall where many local bands played in the '50s and '60s.

It took me a few pages to get into this book, pages I have since re-read with appreciation and giggles. The book has some good characters set in a just-believable "one of those days". Although I found the children less convincing than the adults. Are men really like John? Richard Francis is one so he must know.. gulp! Raymond is the best dog I have spent time with in print and had me howling with laughter. Read the book, you'll enjoy it.

Taking Apart the Poco Poco concentrates on the adventures of a family and their dog on a single day. Each member of the family is involved in their own separate dramas, tragic and hilarious in turns. Their lives hardly seem to cross. Full of well observed minutae and careful characterization Richard Francis gives each character a distinctiveness and reality. You begin to feel that as well as being man and boy, he's also been girl, woman and dog! This is a funny, serious read, and deserves to be better known.