The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman

The debut novel from Bruce Robinson, writer of the cult 80s movie Withnail & I, is a darkly comic look at a young boy’s life in the 1950s and the weird and not-so-wonderful characters that inhabit it.

Thomas Penman, is a “thirteen-year-old asthmatic short-arse with big ears and an unwholesome characteristic.” The details of this characteristic shall remain unsaid for now but be assured that its unwholesomeness is beyond question.

His life is complicated by his dysfunctional family, the only member of which he can relate to is his dying grandfather Walter, a veteran of the first World War whose colourful, secret life is a source of constant fascination.

Thomas’ only other real friend is his schoolmate Maurice, and the two of them share a charming passion for cigarettes and pornography.

Amidst this myriad of factors holding him down, nothing seems to go right for Thomas until his love for the girl of his dreams seems to be reciprocated.

There is a delightful surrealism to Robinson’s writing, which is punctuated by vignettes of seemingly nonsensical asides. For from detracting from the story, however, these asides provide a welcome comic aspect to a succession of memorable scenes.

The language is forthright, so this is not a book for the easily offended, and fans of Withnail & I will instantly recognise Robinson’s raucous turns of phrase.

This is one of those brilliant novels that starts slowly but then draws you into a world in which the fate of its sympathetic and whole characters take on emotional significance.

Highly recommended.