Reviews with content warning for Outing - My Policeman

Reviews tagging 'Outing'

My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

92 reviews

raphaela's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The last 50 pages broke my heart over and over again. We all know I would have never picked up this book without H, just because I’m a sucker for fantasy and happy endings. But I enjoyed this so so much, not only because it is set in Brighton but because it is such a heart wrenching story told absolutely beautifully. I will think about this one for a long long time.

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whenlohaz's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is incredibly well written. The difference in writing style between the characters, the depth with which they are built is incredible.

I don’t think I have ever hated a book character more in my entire life. Marion is so incredibly selfish - and the author does such a good job at introducing this fatal flaw from the beginning, and it slowly builds up until the very end.

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annakillilea's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Marion is so annoying but i couldn’t put it down.

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redrosemoth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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itsocchiolism's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

***** FULL OF SPOILERS****

Nothing is black and white in this book. Not a choice and not a relationship or dynamic between anyone. Everything is just complicated and painful for everyone.

It’s not “you hurt me and I hate you” , it’s more “you hurt me & I understand why you did it, but I still have a right to feel betrayed and angry. And I love you and I don’t know how to stop doing that, how to leave or how to fix this”

It’s “I know that you wish that I was braver, and that you tolerate the crumbs of love I give you, but I’m scared. And I know you deserve better but I’m here and I hope you can share me”

It’s “I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep you in my life, even if it means becoming close with someone & using her for our advantage. I don’t want to hurt her, nothing of this is her fault, I don’t wanna ruin her pride but at the same time I will do anything to be with you”

These characters felt so human. They are selfless and selfish, they are kind and ruthless, they are loyal and not. All at once.

Marion made a terrible choice when she decided to send that letter, if she would’ve known how dangerous the situation was she would’ve never done it because she didn’t want to risk putting Tom in danger. She knew how much Patrick meant to Tom, and she knew that hurting Patrick would hurt her husband as well. I found myself very frustrated with her in several parts of the book, but I think it’s just encompassing the bigger theme that is a woman’s place in society. At the time Marion admitted that she wouldn’t know how to leave Tom. It’s only at the end that she realizes that leaving is the only thing that she can do. That she has lost so much time, and she’s been a fool, and she can do it on her own- she can leave. She finds that self respect that she should’ve so much earlier on. But only after taking care of Patrick and doing everything that she can to forgive herself and earn their forgiveness. While at the same time letting them be happy by removing herself from the equation, and hoping that they can be alone together at the end.

It’s upsetting to me to see everybody bashing Marion so ruthlessly. Yes she did an awful, terrible and maybe even unforgivable thing, but where is the empathy for this woman, who is suffering the betrayal of her life? Try to put yourself in her shoes. You married the presumed love of your life and you become friends with his friend only to find out years later that your husband is actually gay, doesn’t romantically love you, and is definitely having an affair with his friend. Someone you have dined with, and gone to the theater with, & and on vacation and has been a huge part of your life for years. And not ever receiving an apology from either one of them.

Patrick and Tom are not guilt free, they are not innocent. they both took advantage of Marion. Tom by marrying her so he would be in a good societal standard, all while having a secret life and a love affair with the man he really loved. And Patrick also took advantage of Marion & in the security that she brought to his relationship with Tom.

I would say that ultimately it’s society‘s fault for the way that they misstreated queer people back then. That Patrick and Tom did what they could to do to stay together and to keep that sliver of happiness that they found with each other. And that Marion was just trying to save her marriage.

it’s no one‘s fault which makes this story so tragic.

I like to think that if it could’ve been avoided, Tom would have never married Marion. That him and Patrick would’ve been happy together and Marion would’ve moved on from her little crush on Tom and she would have found a husband that was fitting for her and it all would’ve worked out. but that’s in a perfect society, which is not the case here. so again I will reiterate that even though they all made mistakes they were doing what they thought was best.

I do wish we would have seen Tom’s perspective, I inferred as much as i could about his character, but it was a bit hard because we only saw him through the eyes of two people that were deeply in love with him. I think we don’t really get to know the character at all, it was more of an image of how his lover and his wife perceived him.

All the characters made terrible choices, they all had their reasons, their motives, and I can see each of their sides and stories. I think it was a beautifully told story, I loved the writing, the imagery, the feelings that it evoked in me. I felt protectiveness over them all in spite of everything, I wanted them all to be happy and find joy and peace with themselves.

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potatocomlegas's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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apiora215's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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whosjessanyway's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

I loved the writing in this book so much. Really moving story, I was hooked from the start. My favorite book I’ve read so far this year.

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jasminn_perez's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i rlly liked this book but i do think it was a little problematic. there is so much of marion’s perspective and beside the fact that shes annoying and i hate her, this book focuses way too much on her and her feelings. of course the way the she felt was absolutely justified i mean she was literally trapped into a marriage where her husband was using her as a cover to his gay love affair. i would be pretty mad too. but this is marketed as a queer love story and it focused way too much on her. also authors rlly need to stop giving queer characters tragic backgrounds. like pls not every gay is terribly traumatized.

i was rooting for marion at the beginning i felt bad for her but also she was just choosing to be so blind about toms queerness. his sister literally told herrrr and for her to completely ignore that and pursue him still THINKING SHE COULD CHANGE HIM. ur fucking lying. her blatant homophobia was so hard to read like genuinely. it made me angry sob. i wanted her to be happy and her situation made me sad but i could NEVERRR forgive her for what she did to patrick. i rlly just hate her.
tom was kind of fucked too. like his internalized homophobia was so toxic. he did not have to marry marion. he did not have to keep seeing her. but the fact that he acted so selfishly as to marry her is just so fucked. of course im considering the time period but still. patrick never married and he was living his best life. i loved patrick. he was easily the best character. he just loved art and music and tom :((

anyway i liked it overall i just wish there was less of marion. im so excited to see the movie im curious to see how theyre going to do the perspectives because it was just very specific in the way it was done in the book. also the way that both patrick and marion were both so infatuated with tom is interesting when thinking of harry styles in that role. his fan base is very much in love with him. i think the girlies will relate. ;)

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hannahbailey's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

TW: homophobia, outing, toxic relationship, suicide, imprisonment

A well written book -- the setting was particularly well crafted. I could really sense the tense and unforgiving atmosphere both of the time and in between the characters. I hope that the author made these characters deliberately unlikeable, if so, then its excellent storytelling. I'm still unsure whether this novel is a product of its time (2012 :/) or a novel ahead of its time in that it leaves you feeling conflicted. That probably doesn't make sense unless you've read the book, but Marion's actions were unexpected and pretty shocking. I didn't really sympathise her, although I felt like the narrative was perhaps asking readers to, which is why I'm unsure of the author's intent here!

This is a very sad and depressing book, do not pick this up if you're looking to read about queer joy -- you won't find it here!

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