“Upon the Rock” is a most interesting novel. It has been regarded by some, as Clarke’s definitive masterpiece, yet others tend to consider “Upon the Rock” not worthy of critical appraisal. The critics holding the latter opinion have their reasons: they believe that Clarke’s lack of insight into his characters makes his creation appear wooden, which is illustrated in their dialogue. His characters speak as though they are the same; thus, the critics argue, the author lacks psychological insight into his creation. Furthermore, his writing style is a hybrid of modern with a blend of the ornate. Thus, his characters lack realism and the reader loses sympathy for them.

Critics, like me, applaud his offbeat story telling. Clarke changes narrative perspective. He introduces a mysterious first-person narrator, M.B. and then another first person, Aemilius. Both M.B. and Aemilius are linked together; one is the narrator in the Roman novella, and the other is the reader of the Roman novella. The reader comments on the novella, as well as commenting on the author, Aaron. It could be said that I too am a creation of the writer. However, that is another story, which I do not want to dwell on.