Submarine

by Joe Dunthorne

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • “[Dunthorne’s] precocious talent and cheerful fondness for the teenage male are showcased in Submarine . . . . Oliver’s voice is funny and dead-on.”— The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

At once a self-styled social scientist, a spy in the baffling adult world, and a budding, hormone-driven emotional explorer, Oliver Tate is stealthily nosing his way forward through the murky and uniquely perilous waters of adolescence. His objectives? Uncovering the secrets behind his parents’ teetering marriage, unraveling the mystery that is his alluring and equally quirky classmate Jordana Bevan, and understanding where he fits in among the mystifying beings in his orbit. Struggling to buoy his parents’ wedded bliss, deep-six his own virginity, and sound the depths of heartache, happiness, and the business of being human, what’s a lad to do? Poised precariously on the cusp of innocence and experience, Oliver Tate aims to damn the torpedoes and take the plunge.

Praise for Submarine

“[Joe Dunthorne is] probably destined to be compared with Mark Haddon and Roddy Doyle.” — The Miami Herald

“This absolutely winning debut novel isn’t so much a coming-of-age tale as it is a reflection on what it means to be a certain age and of an uncertain mind.” — Los Angeles Times

“A brilliant first novel by a young man of ferocious comic talent.” — The Times (London)

“Preternaturally wise, slightly devious and highly entertaining.” — USA Today

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Romance, Novels, British Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Joe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea, and is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA, where he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize.

His poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies and has featured on Channel 4, and BBC Radio 3 and 4. A pamphlet collection, Joe Dunthorne: Faber New Poets 5 was published in 2010.

His first novel, Submarine, the story of a dysfunctional family in Swansea narrated by Oliver Tate, aged 15, was published in 2008.

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered what it would be like if Wes Anderson got drunk on vodka and watched the entire box set of The Inbetweeners in one night?

Reader meet Submarine. Submarine meet reader.

Aah, and herein lies the conundrum.
For I really dislike The Inbetweeners (I know, I know… I have received many a horrified glare when I have divulged this information. I just don’t find it funny because I’m a horrible, stuffy prude) but I adore Wes Anderson.
This could have gone either way and I think I knew this risk before I started this book. I am nothing if not a risk taker.

So, let’s see shall we?
Did I enjoy this book?
Very much so.
Did I laugh at this book?
I barked like a seal a few times, so yes, again… very much so.
Is it a bit vile and vulgar and is there lots of graphic sex and fumblings?
Ho yes.

Considering I only read this book so I had something to talk to Richard Ayoade about (I’m kidding. Our imaginary conversations would be about lots of excellent things from films to music, to whether it would make him uncomfortable if I touched his hair), I really, really enjoyed it.
I like to call books like these “It got dark” books; meaning you pick it up in the afternoon and you read…and read….and read and then the next time you look up well, um, it got dark.
This is exactly what happened with Submarine.
My inhaling reading of Mr Dunthorne’s debut was only hindered occasionally by me stopping to jot down some of my favourite quotes and then pick up my phone so I could text them to my sister.

I battled (well ok, maybe battled is getting a bit giddy) with the decision to whether I should class this as young adult. I know that just because a book has a fifteen year old protagonist doesn’t automatically make it a young adult book. Like I said before, this book has lots and lots of awkward sexual shenanigans in and frank discussions about things that might not be to everyone’s liking. So if you’re put off by that, maybe give this book a miss or at least approach with caution.
But, even though people might argue with me saying it’s not a young adult book, I believe if an author writes a book where there is a fifteen year old narrator and it’s a realistic portrayal (which I personally feel Mr Dunthorne managed brilliantly), then why shouldn’t a fifteen year old pick the book up?

Plus, classing this book as YA would make it infinitely cooler because YA fiction is all the rage right now and all the indie kids read it and pretend they liked it before it got famous.
(FYI, we hard core YAddicts read Hunger Games before it was cool)
It’s kind of like I’m doing Mr D a favour reviewing this on a YA blog. I’m sure he appreciates it.

*cough*

Anyway, I loved Oliver. I’d probably hate him if I met him in real life, though. If we had gone to high school with each other I would have watched him cautiously from behind my ill-advised fringe and think that he was odd and trouble. He’d be the kind of guy I’d cross the road to avoid passing… but I’d be intrigued by him.
I understand that that probably says more about me than Oliver, but that’s kind of how I felt about him in this book. I wouldn’t say I necessarily liked him as a character, but he was a brilliant narrator. I loved seeing the world through his warped-tinted spectacles.

Some of my favourite Oliver quotes, which I have realised won’t be funny out of context:

[On pocket-sized Encyclopaedias] “It would only fit in a pocket that was specially designed.”


“I slam my fist on to the table to no effect. It’s made of stone.”


“I would never say snog. I would say osculate.”

[On condoms] “The smell nothing like a positive first sexual experience.”

I find that a book like this is incredibly difficult to describe why it’s funny to people because if you don’t find it funny, then no matter how many times I say “specially designed pockets” and cackle, you will still look at me blankly and wonder why we are friends.
But I laughed.

I don’t really want to go into the story because, if I’m honest, there’s not that much of a story. It’s about a boy growing up in South Wales where things aren’t always peachy and the boy observes them with dry humour.

The only gripe I had with this book is that I wish certain parts had been explored more in depth. There were some things that seemed to either get overwhelmed by Oliver’s personality/narration, mentioned a few times and then forgotten about or, at the end, solved and wrapped up in a neat bow.

Theme Tune.
Hiding Tonight by Alex Turner.;

It’s like this song was written for this story.

Heh… heh….
Actually, that um… joke would have been funnier if this song had been written for this story. But, it’s not true because I think Mr Turner wrote these songs before the film soundtrack, so I’m not just unfunny; I’m also a liar.
I couldn’t find the perfect song for this book but I love this song and… wait, why am I even justifying myself? It’s Alex Bloody Turner.

Also um… with regards to Welsh Week. I’m… um, sure that the Arctic Monkeys are from Sheffield which is in England which is part of the UK along wiiiiiiiith….. Wales!
Also, I’m sure they played in Wales at some point and really enjoyed it.

*cough*

I really enjoyed this book but I know that it won’t be for everyone. It’s clever, it’s witty, it’s occasionally vulgar and it’s definitely a hipster’s paradise (which is nothing like a gangsta’s paradise… something I found out recently. But that’s another story for another time.)

I’ll let you make up your own mind whether that’s a good thing or not.


This review is part of Wythnos Cymraeg || Welsh Week. Also it comes with a snazzy film review.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time of my reading this, this had just recently been made into a film - Joe Dunthorne's well praised comedy about the peculiar coming-of-age drama of a fifteen year old boy in Swansea, about his friends (and bullies), his sex life (paedo-like, when not dry humping!) and trying to save his parents' marriage ('cos his dad doesn't try).

Quite funny at times, this is a solid debut in a difficult genre (young adult + dark humour) by Dunthorne. A 6 out of 12 Three Star read that's crying for a reread from me.

2012 read

[Algernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I've learned from Submarine (I planned to list 100, but I got tired of the game rather fast):

- you are a triskaidekaphobic if you are afraid of the number thirteen

- it's OK to spy on your parents in order to find out things about yourself ( I recently discovered that my mother has been typing the names of as-yet-uninvented mental conditions into Yahoo's search engine: 'delusion syndrome teenage', 'over-active imagination problem', 'holistic behavioural stabilizers'

- a nepenthe is something that helps you forget sorrow and suffering, like a bottle of poppers.

- sometimes it is important to skip school for an afternoon (this might be a nod to Ferris Bueller)

- cooking and love-making are, after all, interchangeable skills

- it is generally true that 15 years old are obsessed with sex ( I've discovered that masturbating in the darkness of my empty wardrobe is excellent, particularly because of that new-born feeling as you stumble back into the well-lit room. A kind of Narnia. )

- in related news : a parthenologist is a specialist in the study of virgins and virginity.

- love means that she's the only person I would allow to be shrunk to microscopic size and explore my body in a tiny submersible machine.

- every human eats six spiders a year while asleep.

- gross out humour is the number one entertainment for the younger generations : Out in the bay, the Cork ferry may look like civilization but it probably contains at least one person vomiting.

- paruresis is the fear of peeing in public places

- there's a place called Llanwrthwl somewhere in Wales. (and that's probably one of the easier to pronounce names from the country)

- people from Cardiff are closer to apes than the rest of the members of the human race.

- meditation is like a long bath

- an egregore is a kind of group mind which is created when people consciously come together for a common purpose.

- to exungulate means to trim or cut nails or hoofs.

- Car journeys are the frowning parentheses at the start and end of any good holiday. (this quote is actually one of the really good ones in the novel)

- syzygy means the alignment of three celestial objects.

Some of these may be made up words, but I didn't care enough one way or another to check up on them. Ollie, the 15 y.o. who writes in his journal all this stuff, is real keen on dictionaries and likes to show off to all and sundry how clever he is. He is, of course, also self-obssessed ( 'Why don't we talk about me?' ), a bully, sex-obsessed, hypochondriac, a self-serving liar, bored, eccentric and interesting in his own eyes, unnecessarily gross and annoying by the end of the story to me.

It's a generational thing I guess, and the fact that I don't appreciate the toilet humour, the vomiting and the farts and the general ickiness of the presentation makes me an old-fart in the eyes of the younger generation. I could make comparison between Submarine and such classics as The Catcher In The Rye, The Graduate, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Superbad. The novel aspires to such lofty ideals. Olliver is the Swansea translation of the angsty, smart, sensitive teenager who hides his vulnerability by lashing out at the people around him.

After the first couple of chapters, I was captivated by the humour and the style of presentation, but the story got old quite fast when I realized that's all there is to it - more style than substance and too much reliance on being shocking and trending (1990's Yuppie style). I believe there are some serious pacing issues and the novel goes on too long, especially for those readers who become disenchanted with the first person narrator. I saw the movie before reading the book, and the same thing happened there : I loved the first half hour, and then fell asleep when it kept going nowhere in the next five hours (I know the movie is shorter than that, but that's how it felt).

That's not to say other readers will not be more susceptible to the charms of Ollie and his brand of humour. I thought the girls in the book where well rendered, both the pyromaniac Jordana and the bullied Eve. I also think some of the issues of bullying in school, communication between generations and the way parent marital troubles reflect on the sanity of the children are worthy subjects of analysis. And I believe Joe Dunthorne has it in him to be a great modern writer. Here's a last quote to illustrate both that he can write, and what the book is all about:

This is theatre. It feels like this could be some clever extra scene from the play, and in a minute there's going to be a song about how lucky we all are to be young and beautiful and live in Swansea at the end of the less awful half of an absolute bum-out of a century.

[Repix Pix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My experience of this book was too personal to write a review, but I loved it.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharp funny coming-of-age story set in urban Wales. Not sentimental.

The narrator is keenly observant and totally oblivious at the same time; in other words, a teenager. Many of his observations are just made up, and that, I believe, is the metaphor given to the reader here.

The cautionary tale to take away as a warning is that a lot of what we believe is just something we made up — especially when it concerns other people. We project on to them, rather that really understand them. We are self-deluded, and self-oblivious.

As an aside, I came to this book from the movie, which is completely different in many of the details. However, I thoroughly enjoyed both the movie and the book.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up in a bookstore because it was at a discounted price and the first few pages really caught my attention. Oliver Tate as a smart albeit eccentric teenager struck a chord with me, and at first I felt I could relate to the character. I enjoyed the character's analytical view of the world around him and the humour that comes with it, but that's about where it ends.

Oliver Tate does things which most teenagers may threaten to do after an argument, but would never dream of doing in real life. It's simply unrealistic. Also, despite his unique personality, he surprisingly fits in very well at school and has no problems hiding his true self in order to gain popularity, which is something that a real teenager with a similar sort of personality (ie. myself) would struggle immensley to do.

A lot of the language and situations presented in the book are extremely vulgar and graphic. Whilst it may be unsuitable for any younger teenagers, I doubt that the book would appeal to adults either due to the protagonist being a 15-year-old boy at odds with his parents. I had hoped that a character with Oliver's personality would not also be subject to stereotypical teenage, loutish behaviours. I really began to lose faith in him, especially about half way through the book where Oliver does something which would be seen as criminal and foolish under any circumstances.

The plot is pretty non-existent, dependant only on Oliver's increasingly idiotic behaviours to push it forwards. Expect a typical story written from a rebellious teenager's eyes, full of issues faced by teenagers and their friends and family. Overall, it is an easy read with some humour, but not much else.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat de simpatic poate sa fie un pusti de 15 ani? Destul de agreabil daca cititorul ajunge sa se regaseasca in ispravile si maniera sa de a gandi. Si mai ales daca romanul de debut al lui Joe Dunthorne ii trezeste amintiri, trairi si momente de rebeliune din varsta adolescentei.
Oliver Tate este un pusti de 15 ani din Swansea pasionat de dictionare si cuvinte, cu preocupari specifice varstei sale: incearca sa atraga atentia parintilor lui facand tot felul de traznai si inventand lucruri, isi chinuie colega supraponderala de scoala, trece prin experienta primului sarut si a primei relatii cu o fata. Incearca apoi sa-l vindece pe tatal sau de depresie si aflam cum vede el criza prin care trece casnicia parintilor sai, culminand cu despartirea sa de prietena. Dupa cum observam el trece prin momente grele si serioase ale vietii insa le trateaza mereu cu umor avand o abordare adolescentina, specifica varstei sale.
Ce retinem din carte?
- Daca vei cauta pe internet "sindromul iluziei la adolescenti" prima pagina afisata se refera la sindromul Cotard, o ramura a autismului in care bolnavul are impresia ca e mort.
- Pansexualii sunt indiviziii atrasi sexual de orice, fiinte sau obiecte lipsite de viata (cartea ne lamureste ca nu e vorba de cineva pasionat de tigai).
- Triskaidekafobia este teama de numarul 13.
- Maria, consilierul scolar este gaina. Problemele emotionale sunt oul. Ce a fost mai intai?...
- Cum sa ajungi respectat la scoala ca baiat: sa ai deodorant, aparat de ras electric si parul ca Elvis.
- Jurnalul nu mai e in trend, mai bine ai un "caiet de bord".
- Daca o fata iti zice: "Pariez ca ma dau in leagan mai sus ca tine!", asta inseamna ca flirteaza cu tine si vrea mai mult.
- La "a taia-o in oras" in galeza se spune: "mitchio yn y che".
- Varianta sigura a unui anticonceptional: chiftelute de casa.
- La o cina romantica prepara piure pentru ca e mai simplu sa fierbi excesiv cartofii decat potrivit.
In incheiere pot sa spun despre roman ca este amuzant, interesant, desi pe alocuri prea indecent pentru gustul meu. Din pacate insa mi-a lasat impresia ca nu am reusit sa descifrez mesajul sau, ca nu m-am prins de ceva si astfel mi s-a parut o experienta incompleta.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book started well but felt then it went downhill and wasn't really my cup of tea

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me but doesn't everything get compared to The Catcher in the Rye? A modern day version, a version crossed with Godzilla, Holden Caulfield on speed, best thing since sliced Salinger? I choose to discount these comparisons for three reasons: hyperbole, im always disappointed and most importantly, I distinctly remember finally reading it and wondering what all the fuss was about.

Joe Dunthorne's debut novel about teenage angst, alienation and rebellion in Swansea in the late 1990's was inevitably compared to said adventures of Master Caulfield and once more I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about.

There are moments of great levity interspersed with others of great gravity, both handled well considering this is a book that features a teenage boy inadvertantly trying to put his fist inside a virgin in a theatre sound booth and same boy writing awkward teenage love letters to his mother from his father in an attempt to get them to "turn the dimmer switch down" on their bedroom light.

It's quite a charming novel of coming to terms with yourself and your parents and sadly those themes and the age of the protagonist means this does limp in to the dreaded young adult category of literature. Whilst Catcher has become known as a book for teens it was intended for adults and as such deals with things beyond the school yard as it investigates it's issues of identity and alienation, Subamrine gets bogged down in the minutiae of bodily fluids, obvious attempts at making Oliver a modern day picaro but forgetting to make him sympathetic in any way at all. At its heart this is immaturity masquerading as mature, a wolf dressed in the sheeps clothing of a large dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia set, perfectly mirroring its protagonist.

I must be honest and admit that I only had an interest in reading this because of the fantastic movie adaptation. It's such a charming, funny and interesting movie and I was intrigued as to whether the novel was the source for this or the film maker Richard Ayoade. The answer was a little from column A and a lot from column B. The adaptation made this novel better, it added a magical quality missing from (OK maybe it was slightly hinted at) Dunthornes prose, made the story of Oliver Tate more cohesive and most importantly adding layers of sympathy to the supporting characters in the life of this neurotic, self obsessed, teenage boy and even Oliver himself.

See the movie, for once book not essential.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I ADORED the film version. There are some pretty gaping differences b/w the two the biggest being that in the book, Oliver just kind of annoys me. In the film, he is much more sympathetic (though not relatable to me) and I do think the right scenes were left out of the film version.
The style was hilarious and I'm pleased at how very Welsh it all seemed. By that I mean I really got a sense of Oliver's place in his world and the place where he lives. I recommend you see the film. Read this too if you want to compare but this may be one of the rare instances when I prefer the film to the book. (Did I really just admit that?)

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver Tate is a Welsh teenager with a penchant for theatrics and complicated words. He is our narrator.

Our author, Joe Dunthorne, punctuates his book with clever turns of phrases, keeps his sentences succinct and uses natural phrases that flow together well. His writing is fantastic. He gives Oliver such a unique voice, making this entertaining and easy to read.

But there's an errant sadness that runs through this book. Oliver is coming of age and realizing that he cannot control his life--that no one, not even his parents, can control their lives.

The sadness doesn't dominate the text though. It highlights the hilarity and sometimes frivolous nature of life, especially Oliver's.

The following are two of my favorite quotes (which are almost impossible to understand out of context--another reason to pick this book up!):

"And it was strange being his wife for a while; it was nice that he was being so open and I liked hearing him swear, but I can't say that, after a few weeks of listening to him moan, I didn't see the appeal--theoretically--of running off with the guy who comes once a month to do the garden."

"She's the only person I would allow to be shrunk to microscopic size and explore my body in a tiny submersible machine."

[Joana da Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yep, another book I'll be talking about on my podcast, so hidden review it is.

Ok, what was this? I saw the movie adaptation when it came out and it became an instant personality trait of mine. That cinematography with an Alex Turner soundtrack on my Tumblr years? Easy to guess that outcoming, I know. However, this book was so disappointing. I spent more than half of it thinking "what the actual fuck am I reading?". Imagine The Catcher in the Rye, which I loved, but in the late 90s and with a much more annoying MC, Holden Caulfield was already a difficult one to bear but Oliver... Honey, just don't. In the beginning, I thought I was going to love this book. It was funny and very true to a 15-year-old boy mentality, but that was about it. The roller coaster went down really fast and never made it upwards.

[Maia · Rating 1 out of 5]

you'll love this book if you're into:
- homophobia
- sexism
- racism
- fatphobia
- abuse (gender violence) apology
- abuse (bullying) apology
- rape apology
- pedophilia-related jokes
- religion-related jokes

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found this book tremdeously disappointing. it caught my eye at the bookstore, i guess because of the dust jacket. i'm a sucker for design, seriously. a jacket can make or break a book for me (see my review of ruined by reading for another example). however, i was smart & i exercised restraint. i left the book sitting on the shelf & got a copy from the library instead. thank god! it's the story if a disaffected welsh teenager, a boy. he suspects that his parents are having marital troubles, & that his mother might be pursuing an affair with her meditation guru. he has also found himself a girlfriend & manages to get her into the sack, so he is obsessing over the fact that he lost his virginity while he obsesses over his parents' love/sex life, even going so far as to count his mother's tampons to make sure she doesn't get pregnant. i think that is where the book truly lost me. who does that? i'm all for demystifying the human body & wish that more dudes were comfortable with the fact that ladies tend to menstruate, but counting one's own mother's tampons really crosses a line for me. i can't craft an eloquent explanation as to why, but nonetheless. plus he runs kind of hot & cold with his girlfriend ("treat her mean, keep her keen" is his mantra...along with all teenage boys throughout the history of the world, which is why i just didn't bother dating dudes until i was in my 20s), who finally wises up & dumps him. there's a scene where he kills his girlfriend's dog too. he seems to think it's a kind-hearted act, some kind of euthenasia, because his girlfriend is allergic to the dog, but he poisons it with fertilizer & it's just really sick & unnecessary. oh, & he stalks his mom to a meditation center to make sure she's not boning her guru. & does the same thing when his mom goes on a meditation trip to the beach. i'm just not into stalk-y teenage boys, sorry. i guess this is a kind of updated youth in revolt, another book that was lauded as being an honest protrait of precocious teenage male sexuality, but just left me feeling kind of ill.

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3 in #BookTubeAThon2015.

(Read an author who shares the same first letter of your last name.)

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in a matter of days, closed up in my stink hole (sink hole) of a room, coughing violently and slathering vaseline on my peeling lips. It comes at no surprise that this book reminded me of first love ended and turned into old love, parents, and dead dogs. This book is also a movie. I saw the movie roughly a year ago and received the book as a gift soon after that. I've been listening to the movie soundtrack ever since. It is one of the few constants in my life. Who am I kidding? Most things in my life are constant. I avoided reading the book. I used a trivial pursuit card as a book mark. I just looked up book mark to check if it is one or two words. It is one. I am glad that I read this book a year later because I think that it means something different to me now than it would have then. I will not read this over to check the grammar. Happy Valentine's Day.

[Hossain · Rating 4 out of 5]

In most cases books usually outshines their movie counterparts. At least, it seems to me. I thought I would never watch a movie that is arguably better than its source material. I have to say for this cases movie was better. But first I have to admit that I have watched the movie first and I was mind blown by it, especially in the “hiding tonight” song scene and in the ending. And obviously the soundtrack by Alex Turner was superb.
So first the complaints—
1. I basically didn’t get the title. The relation between the plot and title remains vague to me.
2. This is a coming of age tale, right? But I didn’t see any character growth of Oliver. He remains same from beginning to end. I didn’t see the coming of age of Oliver.
3. The ending of the movie was just great, but the book’s ending was somewhat disappointing.
And now the praises—
1. I like the black humour of the book. I have a soft spot for funny hilarious books or movies.
2. He is just too good student for me. His analysis of Jordana’s email made me realize how poor I am in English. This and future reviews will be my attempt to practice my English.
3. There is some mention of Bangladesh and foods of Bangladesh. According to Oliver Wood-Apple is a popular food in here and I didn’t even hear of this fruit. But after a Google search I realized that Wood-Apple is really quite popular food in here I just didn’t know the English name. In the end I had to agree with Oliver that Wood-Apple (কদবেল) also isn’t my top fruit of choice.
In the end I have to say that I don’t care if you read the book or not you better watch the movie.

[Savannah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver Tate is the most interesting character that I've ever read. Hands down.

I loved the way he thought in words. I loved his "words of the day". I smiled whenever I knew what one of the words meant, and it was nice to learn a new word when I didn't. I loved the British school boy humor and language.

I loved his way of thinking, even if it was extremely twisted at times. I love how he said everything that came across his mind, and it was so truly narrated. It was so nice to read a book where you really felt that you were reaching inside every part of the narrator's mind, not just the superficial part. I loved how he would explain how he was going to so do something for a certain reaction, and then go and do it.

I loved Joe Dunthorne's writing. It was witty, exciting, and hilarious. He really knows how to tell a story well.

My only (minor, very minor) complaint is that the middle of the book felt like it dragged a bit. Or that could be because of a reading lul I had while half-way through the book. But it wasn't enough of a problem for me to downgrade the book to four starts or to not consider it a favorite.

I'm now excited to see the movie and see what Richard Ayoade did with such a lovely book. I also can't wait to hear Alex Turner's (yay!) amazing soundtrack (that I first heard back in march) in action with the film.

Great book overall. Oliver Tate, I'm going to miss you!

[Sub_zero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Submarino es una de esas novelas que contienen todos los ingredientes para salir bien parada de una cita conmigo: referencias extraordinarias; un protagonista adolescente, curioso, excéntrico, inteligente pero socialmente inepto, que intenta asumir el control sobre sus hormonas mientras cree contemplar cómo se desmorona el núcleo familiar sin que él pueda hacer nada por evitarlo; además, una prosa aguda y desenfadada que deja entrever como quien no quiere la cosa sorprendentes reflexiones sobre amor, amistad, sexo, el futuro y todas esas cosas que a los quince años parecen tan abstractas y a la vez tan decisivas. Sin embargo, la validez de la receta no asegura el éxito en su preparación. Hay algo en el Submarino de Dunthorne que no me termina de convencer. Como queriendo hacer honor a su nombre, todos los elementos de la novela (trama, estilo, estructura, personajes) empiezan a hundirse en su segunda mitad y la fórmula que tanto me estaba gustando al principio acaba perdiendo casi todo su lustre. Por lo que me cuentan, la adaptación cinematográfica está bastante lograda, así que -sin que sirva de precedente-, casi os recomendaría apostar primero por ella y leer la novela solo en caso de que os convirtáis en fans acérrimos de la historia.

[Reckless Serenade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cuando he terminado de leer Submarine mi primer pensamiento ha sido:
¿Qué m̶i̶e̶r̶d̶a̶ acabo de leer?

La lectura de este libro ha sido en varios momentos divertida, ya que los pensamientos del protagonista en algunas situaciones son bastantes particulares, pese a ello lo veo como un libro carente de emociones.

Es ligero de leer, aunque pienso que pudo haber sido mucho mejor, ya que los tramas y los personajes se podrían haber desarrollado mucho más. No he conectado con este libro, me he decepcionado con él pensado que sería otra cosa.

[Varvara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was bored out of my mind by this book. I guess it's a keen observation on how a teenage boy's mind works; but either I'm too tired of boys' coming-of-age stories, or this particular boy was just not that interesting (and mildly disturbing, too). And all the long, whatever-exam-they-need-to-study-them-for words in-between the curt, dull sentences became really annoying really fast.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite frankly this was amazing.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading if you haven’t already. Loved it.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a bit bored at points and also didn't really want to read about 15 year olds having sex, but overall enjoyed this story and its humour.

[Nghi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful character study, awful story.

This book suffers from what I will now call "Dear Evan Hansen Syndrome", in which the main character is super interesting but morally unreliable and generally unlikeable, and there is no other likable character in the book (aside from this one throwaway boyfriend character, I guess, he had a few moral brain cells). There is no one to root for, so in a book that absolutely values characters over plot, my heartstrings are left rusty.

I read till the end in desperate hopes that Joe Dunthorne could somehow pull Oliver Tate's story together, make him really come of age, make him learn that his self-taught quirkiness (or near-sociopathic behavior) did not make him superior, maybe even teach him that perverted humor, fat-shaming, and bullying would get him nowhere in life.

This book was just uncomfortable to read after you get past the initial intrigue of Oliver, his manic views, and strange vocabulary. When you learn of the ways he sees women, overweight people, and his parents' sex life, it's all just gross to read. Graphic sex scenes were described dryly and distastefully, which might have been fine if they had a point: to show that physical intimacy does not match emotional intimacy or whatnot, but the scenes were just there to show how quirky of a guy Oliver is.

This story is so... white. There is no positive representation of any minority. Zoe, an overweight girl, is described with disgusting imagery. Oliver is as privileged as can be. No woman could be seen in more than two dimensions. Pansexuality was used as a distasteful gag, homosexuality as a derogatory term.

Over the top of it all, the writing is just bad. There is too much telling and not enough showing, using phrases like "I see", "I imagine", "I think" over and over, maybe because it's Oliver's character quirk but it just makes for poor literature. Joe Dunthorne values style over content, so there are always small unnecessary details. The book is also just too long.

It was funny for the first ten pages, but overall, my funny bone is left untickled. Joe Dunthorne took some risks, and for that, I give two stars out of pity and desperation for more morally challenging characters.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah Taylor ... Lloyd Tate

Paddy Considine ... Graham Purvis

Craig Roberts ... Oliver Tate

Yasmin Paige ... Jordana Bevan

[Oliver Shrouder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe how much I liked this book - the Catcher in the Rye for Wales, and for once that isn’t meant as an insult

[Ethan Ksiazek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prodigious, bleating blather ASD gazette. Any of Dunthorne’s thoughts are lush enough. Throw your dart at any given wry diatribe, and you’re sure to hit a lovely bullseye. I remember watching the movie adaptation (love Ayoade, love The Double), but mostly I remember that my drunk roommates wouldn’t shut tf up lol. Kinda took a meandering tailspin towards the end imo, but the whole endeavor was right up my alley—the literary kickstarter I’ve needed VERY badly.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Είχα αρκετό καιρό να διαβάσω ένα μυθιστόρημα ενηλικίωσης (coming of age το λένε στο χωριό μου) και το συγκεκριμένο με άφησε οπωσδήποτε ικανοποιημένο, κυρίως χάρη στον τρόπο γραφής και παρουσίασης της ιστορίας, αλλά και χάρη στον ιδιαίτερο πρωταγωνιστή, τον 15χρονο Όλιβερ, που αφηγείται το δράμα που περνάει, μια με τον γάμο των γονιών του και τη σεξουαλική τους ζωή, μια με τη δική του σεξουαλική ζωή και τους φίλους που έχει ή δεν έχει. Η ιστορία περιέχει διάφορες κωμικοτραγικές καταστάσεις, στιγμές εφηβικής παρορμητικότητας και ορισμένες (μάλλον αμήχανες) σεξουαλικές σκηνές που οι περισσότεροι ίσως έχουμε ζήσει, οπότε γενικά τα πράγματα είναι αρκετά ευχάριστα, αν και αγγίζονται κάποια σοβαρά θέματα. Η πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση είναι τόσο ιδιαίτερη, όσο ιδιαίτερος είναι ο έφηβος πρωταγωνιστής, ο οποίος με τη σειρά του έχει και μια ιδιαίτερη αίσθηση του χιούμορ. Γενικά το χιούμορ δεν είναι αυτό που σε ξεκαρδίζει στα γέλια, έτσι ολίγον τι στεγνό όπως είναι, όμως προσωπικά μου άρεσε, το βρήκα του γούστου μου. Θα έλεγα ότι δέθηκα με τον πρωταγωνιστή, αν και πιθανότατα δεν θα τον έκανα παρέα στο σχολείο. Συμπερασματικά: Ωραίο μυθιστόρημα, ευχάριστο, μελαγχολικό και λιγάκι κουλό, με εξαιρετική ατμόσφαιρα. Μια εκ των ημερών θα δω και την ομότιτλη ταινία του 2010, που κατά τα φαινόμενα πρέπει να είναι πολύ καλή.