The Satsuma Complex

Product Information

Mortimer commented on the win: “I'm really chuffed to have won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, and what a treat to have an old spot pig named after the book. I still have no idea if I can actually write but this award gives me fresh hope. Cheers!” You get to love all these characters, the good ones and the bad ones and the very bad ones. And you’ll start talking to squirrels. And then you’ll have to think around what that’s achieving for you.” And so begins Gary's quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life? What do you expect when a comedian writes a murder mystery that has a man named Gary talking to squirrels and names dogs as Long Parsnips? Whatever you expect, the book beats that.

Here, our titular hero Demon Copperhead is born to a drug-addicted, teenage, trailer-park mother.He has to battle everyone and everything to make something of himself. But this is so much more than a clever literary exercise.

Mortimer, who found fame as one half of Reeves and Mortimer alongside Vic Reeves, said he was “really chuffed” to have won the award. “I still have no idea if I can actually write but this award gives me fresh hope,” he added. While meeting a work colleague for a drink one night, his attention is taken by an attractive young woman who is sitting alone reading a copy of The Satsuma Complex. His friend suddenly leaves citing a work call and he strikes up a conversation with the girl, a conversation that carries on for hours. He’s smitten, but through all of their chatting, he never found out her name. Next thing he knows, she’s gone and he’s come to the realisation he’s fallen for her. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures It came as no surprise that a beloved comedian like Mortimer could write funny, warm characters, but he’s equally skilled at writing the sort of people you really wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of, perhaps the sort of people he encountered from time to time in during his pre-showbiz career as a solicitor. With his insider knowledge of the law and its legal system, Mortimer is able to craft a story that, when it’s not being thoroughly amusing, shines a light on the flaws in criminal justice, reminding us that, for some, the police can be as equally intimidating as any gang. Make no mistake, this isn’t designed to be a gritty, hard-hitting critique of the justice system, but there are a few sharp lines here and there that reflect the current turbulent climate we live in, and one can only imagine what Mortimer might have to say were he to take the gloves off.

The much loved comic proves adept at noirish fiction in a debut whose surrealist humour sets it apart’ – Observer Writing style Norton, it turns out, is a magnificent novelist. The story of Forever Home is a simple one, but it hinges on a big twist halfway through. A lesser writer would have hurried to get to the big moment sooner, or at least gleefully started to drop bigger and bigger breadcrumbs. But Norton is a model of restraint. He spends chapter after chapter making doubly sure you feel the way he wants you to feel about each character before dropping his bomb. Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration When the police arrive on Gary’s doorstep the next morning saying Brendan is missing and he was the last person to see him alive, the book takes all sorts of twists and turns. There’s a bit of a mystery, a bit of romance, and a bunch of insight in human beings and their behaviour.

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

Plot A fiftysomething woman is devastated when her partner is diagnosed with dementia and his children turf her out of the home they shared. Her partner was insistent that the house should never be sold. But why? Graham Norton, now an established author in addition to his TV and radio career, finds out. Oh Bob Mortimer, you funny, funny man! This book made me laugh out loud so much. I am a big fan of this silly man. His appearances on Would I Lie to You often making me cry in laughter. He is so funny, no matter what he turns his hand to. If you like British humor, you have to read this book. I was thrilled when I received an early copy from Simon and Schuster Australia in the mail. My husband grabbed it and started to read it straight away. Main character Sally, a woman who gleefully rediscovers her can-do attitude when all the unnecessary peripherals start to fall away. Nevertheless, marooned like desert islands in an endless ocean of guff, there is a smattering of truly sumptuous passages of writing. Sadly, they’re not arranged in any kind of structure that might approximate a story. (Paul Connolly) And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…

However new title will not feature Gary –the semi-autobiographical character of a disillusioned legal assistant – who was at the centre of the first. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair, but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. Burke’s podcast, Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake, revolves around death and Mortimer said he’d like to die fighting a bear – or hit by an articulated lorry carrying Flumps. This is a really slow burn, and I found the ending to be terrifically satisfying. So much so that I’d enjoy a Gary Thorn Part II. Or Gary and Emily. Or what Gary did next.

Table of Contents

The story includes many of the usual crime thriller topes – from a possible femme fatale to the calmly intimidating nemesis – but also so many sweetly surreal peculiarities that it could only have been written by Bob Mortimer.

So many comedians have published novels this year that I have begun to wonder whether writing one is an assignment in a yet-to-be-broadcast episode of Taskmaster. Most of them have confirmed the axiom that comics can’t write memorable fiction: even the novels of master funnymen such as Eric Morecambe and Les Dawson did not burnish their reputations.

Fiction

The conversations that Gary has with a squirrel in the park amused no end. The two lads supporting each other through the highs and not so highs of being a bloke today. The winner was chosen from a shortlist of six very different titles that collectively showed that comedy can come in all shapes and sizes: farce, satire, parody, and a gentler, witty geniality. Bob drops in goofy stuff in an almost flattish sounding narrative. Sample ".. have never bothered with social media and the like.I don't see the point of it; I've got enough strangers in my life as it is". In serious parts - a cynical remark (like that of Marvin the robot) has you grinning. And yet, it was a plausible story that had it's highs. Also, the self deprecating meta was hilarious and not too overdone where different characters call the book in the novel "The Satsuma Complex" shit and boring. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity"