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A review by pkc
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
It’s interesting to read a book like this that’s effectively a slice of history from the perspective of those who were unlucky enough to live through and be directly affected by it. In this instance, the gross indecency act of 1885 is almost a tertiary watchman. It casts a pall across any happiness and opportunity that the characters in the book might hope to one day enjoy. The result is egregious bigotry, secrecy, and lies. The story follows Marion who meets her eponymous policeman - Tom, the brother of her best friend and falls instantly for him. Their relationship is complicated by the policeman’s relationship with Patrick - a museum curator. Their arrangement is uneasy and rocky and in the end can only lead to tragedy.
The story vacillates between Marion’s and Patrick’s perspective: the former reflecting on the events of her tumultuous marriage from the relative safety of 1999, while the latter’s perspective is told in the form of extensive diaries. The perspectives are beautifully woven together as events start to derail. I loved how Tom’s story was never told from his own perspective. It gives him the same air of unknowability that each narrator would experience as he retreated into his respective “other life.” Bethan Roberts’ writing is so skilled though that he is no less formed or sympathetic by the omission of his direct perspective
I found myself throughout abhorring the decisions made by the characters and felt anger throughout but ultimately, pity. The bulk of the story takes place in the late 1950s in Brighton, and while Brighton now proudly owns its title as the queer capital of Britain, at the time, it was as backwards as the rest of the country in its attitudes towards queer people, or “inverts”. The characters are placed in impossible decisions and face untenable quandaries in their pursuit of a happy and authentic life, wrestling between the ideal and the expected path.
This was an easy 5⭐️ and I’d recommend it to anyone. Some caution though, by its very nature it’s super bleak and infuriating from a 2024 vantage point.
The story vacillates between Marion’s and Patrick’s perspective: the former reflecting on the events of her tumultuous marriage from the relative safety of 1999, while the latter’s perspective is told in the form of extensive diaries. The perspectives are beautifully woven together as events start to derail. I loved how Tom’s story was never told from his own perspective. It gives him the same air of unknowability that each narrator would experience as he retreated into his respective “other life.” Bethan Roberts’ writing is so skilled though that he is no less formed or sympathetic by the omission of his direct perspective
I found myself throughout abhorring the decisions made by the characters and felt anger throughout but ultimately, pity. The bulk of the story takes place in the late 1950s in Brighton, and while Brighton now proudly owns its title as the queer capital of Britain, at the time, it was as backwards as the rest of the country in its attitudes towards queer people, or “inverts”. The characters are placed in impossible decisions and face untenable quandaries in their pursuit of a happy and authentic life, wrestling between the ideal and the expected path.
This was an easy 5⭐️ and I’d recommend it to anyone. Some caution though, by its very nature it’s super bleak and infuriating from a 2024 vantage point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Violence