Rachel Reviews: The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

For those of you not in the know, Bob Mortimer is a well-known British comedian known for his surrealist humour and his tall story telling, which is not always fictional but is always outrageous.

I love Bob Mortimer - who doesn't? Having spent so many years with Vic Reeves, Bob is pretty much an entity in his own right and as an older man, he is fast becoming, if not having already obtained the status of, a national treasure. He has a warmth about him as well as being incredibly funny and both of these attributes pervade his first novel, The Satsuma Complex.

It's a bit of a thriller really, which may be a surprise. It tells the story of Gary, a solicitor in London who is not high-powered or highly ambitious: he is one of life's plodders. When he meets his friend, Brendan in his local pub, it leads to a further encounter with a young lady, Gary being a shy man intent on gaining some romantic involvement with any young lady somehow. This one-off interaction with a stranger who he initially names Satsuma, having not caught her real name (she is reading a book called The Satsuma Complex) seems promising.

Unfortunately, all is not as it seems and when Brendan goes missing and suspicious looking police officers turn up asking questions, Gary finds himself thrown into a situation for which he is ill-prepared, mild-mannered weakling that he is. Thank goodness for the advice of squirrels to guide him!

Actually, there are no talking squirrels in this book despite misleading comments on covers from reviewers to make you think there are. No, Gary talks to the squirrels that spring up in front of him at regular points during the book but it is Gary's voice which is the voice of the squirrel: he uses them as a sounding board and it is Gary's internal monologue, the voicing of his thought process which provides the conversation from the squirrel. The squirrel is merely a handy furry prop to aid Gary's cognitive digestion. I was glad about this as I think talking squirrels would have made the book bonkers instead of just a little bit daft and would have taken away something from its realism - obviously.

So, do things work out for Gary? Well, that's for you to read to find out but there is lots of goodness and humour in this book, from friendships made to support offered to bad guys brought to justice, that recommend it and Bob fans will be happy.

As a Bob fan, I feel qualified to state this.

Rachel Rating: 4/5 stars

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery:

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please do leave a comment and if you read the book, please do let me know what you thought of it.

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