Submarine
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Review
A brilliant first novel by a young man of ferocious comic talent (The Times )
Dunthorne captures the mores of Britain today better than novelists twice his age (New Statesman )
Brilliant . . . laugh-out-loud enjoyable. The sharpest, funniest, rudest account of a troubled teenager's coming-of-age since The Catcher in the Rye (Independent )
Transplants The Catcher in the Rye to south Wales . . . Dunthorne can make you laugh like you did during double physics on a wet Wednesday afternoon (Observer )
A richly amusing tale of mock GCSEs, sex, death and challenging vocabulary . . . Excruciatingly funny incidents and cracking gags (Time Out )
Excellent . . . the wonderful, Day-Glo certainties of adolescence have rarely been so brilliantly laid out (Independent on Sunday )
Dunthorne captures the mores of Britain today better than novelists twice his age (New Statesman )
Brilliant . . . laugh-out-loud enjoyable. The sharpest, funniest, rudest account of a troubled teenager's coming-of-age since The Catcher in the Rye (Independent )
Transplants The Catcher in the Rye to south Wales . . . Dunthorne can make you laugh like you did during double physics on a wet Wednesday afternoon (Observer )
A richly amusing tale of mock GCSEs, sex, death and challenging vocabulary . . . Excruciatingly funny incidents and cracking gags (Time Out )
Excellent . . . the wonderful, Day-Glo certainties of adolescence have rarely been so brilliantly laid out (Independent on Sunday )
Review
'Brilliant...The sharpest, funniest, rudest account of a periodically troubled teenager's coming-of-age since The Catcher in the Rye'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Finally! A book that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Martin Amis's the Rachel Papers (which, if you loved Submarine, you must also read). Joe Dunthorne, who is, I understand, also a well regarded poet, has created, in Oliver Tate, a compelling and loveable hero; if you have teenaged boys in your life you will wince, cry and applaud - often all at the same time - and if you've recently been one I suspect you might offer up thanks that you no longer are.
This is a book with a clear sense of purpose; to document - unflinchingly (again, Amis springs to mind here) every detail of the business of being a teenager; the emotional, the physical, the metaphysical, the sexual. All set against a backdrop of a lovingly described Gower, peopled with characters who also resonate with truth, and situations (first love, sexual exploration, the anxiety of seeing cracks form in the security of his parents' marriage) that have universal relevance. I can't believe Dunthorne's parents (who MUST have been partly distilled to form Oliver's - if he denys it, I won't believe him) aren't still cringing, rictus grins in place, at the acuity with which their middle-aged peccadillos have been observed.
Don't, however, just expect humour (though there is much). This is a book with a dark side, and plenty of poignant and upsetting moments; darker, definitely, than Adrian Mole. A different animal altogether, to my mind.
It's also written in prose that manages to be that rare thing; beuatifully poetic without ever feeling pompous or overworked.
I can't wait to see what Joe Dunthorne does next.
This is a book with a clear sense of purpose; to document - unflinchingly (again, Amis springs to mind here) every detail of the business of being a teenager; the emotional, the physical, the metaphysical, the sexual. All set against a backdrop of a lovingly described Gower, peopled with characters who also resonate with truth, and situations (first love, sexual exploration, the anxiety of seeing cracks form in the security of his parents' marriage) that have universal relevance. I can't believe Dunthorne's parents (who MUST have been partly distilled to form Oliver's - if he denys it, I won't believe him) aren't still cringing, rictus grins in place, at the acuity with which their middle-aged peccadillos have been observed.
Don't, however, just expect humour (though there is much). This is a book with a dark side, and plenty of poignant and upsetting moments; darker, definitely, than Adrian Mole. A different animal altogether, to my mind.
It's also written in prose that manages to be that rare thing; beuatifully poetic without ever feeling pompous or overworked.
I can't wait to see what Joe Dunthorne does next.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It may have been because I was reading this alongside the headspinning, quantum theory-heavy "The End Of Mr Y' by Scarlett Thomas, that I found this a bit of a slight, frothy, inconsequential read at first. On reflection, however, there are many brilliantly observed set-pieces that capture the excruciating nature of adolescence and the literal, one-track pubescent mind of its precocious narrator, Oliver, perfectly. It is set in 1997-8, possibly no accident, as this arguably represents the point at which the Internet went truly mass-market: there followed a generation for whom sexuality suddenly became "learnt" via the readily available, highly fantastical imagery of online porn. While this has arguably made today's youth less repressed than their predecessors, Joe Dunthorne rightly poses the pertinent question of at what cost this has taken place. Oliver is erudite, witty, and verbose - and for those who are bothered by verisimilitude, like in the film "Juno", it is sometimes hard to reconcile such a sharp narration with our own memories of what we and our peers were like as 15-year-olds. For those happy to wallow in the fiction, however, there are moments of anti-heroism so startling that Oliver seems to be tipping into autistic territory, a la "The Curious Incident Of The Dog At Night-time". Dunthorne's poetic background - and the inevitable metaphor and simile-heavy effects it has on its writing - started to grate a little towards the end. That said, this is an engaging, mostly well-paced story with hidden depths. One suspects - or hopes - that Dunthorne's best work is yet to come however.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm about two thirds of the way through Submarine, and thought I'd pause, briefly, to decide whether or not I'm enjoying it.
I see what another reviewer means, that at about this point, this novel starts to lose its way. Though for me, the fault is that it rather over-finds it. I get the impression that Dunthorne feared nothing remarkable was happening in the trivial life of its hero, Oliver Tate, and so overcompensated with the 'retreat' scene, and other related scenes, later on.
In fact, it's that very trivia, which spookily evokes memories of one's own earlier days, which makes Adrian Mole, Black Swan Green-type novels so engaging.
Submarine has it in places, and that's when the pages turn. Unfortunately, when it loses grip with reality, it loses my attention.
I see what another reviewer means, that at about this point, this novel starts to lose its way. Though for me, the fault is that it rather over-finds it. I get the impression that Dunthorne feared nothing remarkable was happening in the trivial life of its hero, Oliver Tate, and so overcompensated with the 'retreat' scene, and other related scenes, later on.
In fact, it's that very trivia, which spookily evokes memories of one's own earlier days, which makes Adrian Mole, Black Swan Green-type novels so engaging.
Submarine has it in places, and that's when the pages turn. Unfortunately, when it loses grip with reality, it loses my attention.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Utterly depressing
How can a book which describes a fifteen year old boy tricking a seven year old into performing a sex act on him be a comedy? Read more
Published 3 months ago by Middle aged person
Great Modern Tale of Teen Angst
I read this on reccommendation from a friend who new I liked The Catcher in the Rye and was very glad I did. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lesley Tingle
Very enjoyable; full of humour.
What a great coming-of-age novel. Reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and It's Kind of a Funny Story in the fact that the narrator, a typical teenager, is a bit cynical... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joe L
Brilliant
This film was like watching a young teenager from the inside, with all the brilliant and terrible things that would entail. Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Robinson
Not up to expectation
I really had high hopes of this book. Having read Veron God Little I thought it would be of same quality but it wasn't. I wanted to like it. It was set in Wales - I love Wales. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Miss K. Wilshaw
if you enjoyed the film, you will love this book
After watching the film several times, and loving it, i decided i had to read the book it was based on. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Brown Review
Submarine
My non-reading sixteen year old has not put this down even after watching the recent film.
He has really enjoyed the book and has shared lines from it with me, reading and... Read more
He has really enjoyed the book and has shared lines from it with me, reading and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. L. T. Hallows
Enter the mind of a 15-year-old boy
Oliver Tate loves using obscure words. He's worried about his parents' sex life, his girlfriends skin condition, why a schoolmate gets bullied and the possibility of developing a... Read more
Published 9 months ago by I. Barker
Captivating coming of age book from a teenage mind
I love Oliver Tate, he is great to listen to and to follow his exploits. Joe Dunthorne has created a door into a teenager's mind that is believeable and hilarious, at the same time... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Janie U
loved it!
Being a fan of Adrian mole I purchased this book, and found it very similar. The language used sounded as if it could have been Adrian, as the characters are also similar, but some... Read more
Published 11 months ago by carrie
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