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A review by whendevreads
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
4.0
I had heard about My Policeman when it was first announced that they were making a movie, but it took me quite a while to pick up a copy. I am a strong proponent of reading the book first, when there’s enough time. With My Policeman releasing at the beginning of November, I made the decision in September to order a copy of the book and have it read by the time the film is released.
I took my time reading this book, as opposed to how I tend to fly through other books in a day or two. That, for the most part, was on purpose. There is so much detail in the book that I felt like I needed the time to digest each set of pages before moving on. And, after finishing, I am glad I took my time reading it.
What draws me to this book the most is the fact that it’s a story about three people, caught up in a complicated situation that has no easy remedy. They all had their shortcomings, some of which can be condemned MUCH more than others (I’m looking at you Marion), but at the end of the day, they’re human. I think that’s what this book was trying to say overall. We’re all human and we make mistakes, we hurt people, and it might not always be out of a place of unkindness or malice, but sometimes it will be. Sometimes we act without thinking, or we make choices based on wholly selfish reasons and don’t care how it will affect anyone else. Sometimes we think what we’re doing is best, but we realize later how incredibly wrong we were. But at any point, you can’t take that back; there’s no do-overs. And no matter what, there are still consequences. And it’s important to not only recognize the existence of these consequences but also own up to them.
As well, I think that it’s important to understand that although this is a fictional story, the societal undercurrents were very much a thing during the time period chosen for the story. How many peoples lives were ruined because of an intolerant society? How many families were torn apart and reputations were tarnished because of the blatant homophobia that ran rampant in the 1950s? And, honestly, until full decriminalization of gay sexuality occurred in the ‘10s in the UK?
I have my feelings about each character, but that would make this review entirely too long. In short, I cannot figure out what it was about Tom that ensnared the hearts of the other two. I kept waiting for his POV but it never came, which left me disappointed. Marion is a woman who fell in love with a version of Tom she created in her own head, and figured that out way too late. She was so desperate to have a perfect family that she tried to force Tom into becoming someone he is not, as well as ruining all three of their lives in the process. And for Patrick… he mirrors Marion in the way that he fell in love with a version of Tom he, too, created in his head. Either way, he deserved much, much better than he was treated in this book.
It truly is a heartbreaking story. It genuinely hurt to see where the storyline progressed to, and there was no clear resolution. I’m not sure how one would go about resolving a story like that, but the vague final words have me wanting to hunt Bethan Roberts down and ask “What happens next????”
I’m so glad I picked this one up & I cannot wait to see the movie on November 4th.
spice level:
I took my time reading this book, as opposed to how I tend to fly through other books in a day or two. That, for the most part, was on purpose. There is so much detail in the book that I felt like I needed the time to digest each set of pages before moving on. And, after finishing, I am glad I took my time reading it.
What draws me to this book the most is the fact that it’s a story about three people, caught up in a complicated situation that has no easy remedy. They all had their shortcomings, some of which can be condemned MUCH more than others (I’m looking at you Marion), but at the end of the day, they’re human. I think that’s what this book was trying to say overall. We’re all human and we make mistakes, we hurt people, and it might not always be out of a place of unkindness or malice, but sometimes it will be. Sometimes we act without thinking, or we make choices based on wholly selfish reasons and don’t care how it will affect anyone else. Sometimes we think what we’re doing is best, but we realize later how incredibly wrong we were. But at any point, you can’t take that back; there’s no do-overs. And no matter what, there are still consequences. And it’s important to not only recognize the existence of these consequences but also own up to them.
As well, I think that it’s important to understand that although this is a fictional story, the societal undercurrents were very much a thing during the time period chosen for the story. How many peoples lives were ruined because of an intolerant society? How many families were torn apart and reputations were tarnished because of the blatant homophobia that ran rampant in the 1950s? And, honestly, until full decriminalization of gay sexuality occurred in the ‘10s in the UK?
I have my feelings about each character, but that would make this review entirely too long. In short, I cannot figure out what it was about Tom that ensnared the hearts of the other two. I kept waiting for his POV but it never came, which left me disappointed. Marion is a woman who fell in love with a version of Tom she created in her own head, and figured that out way too late. She was so desperate to have a perfect family that she tried to force Tom into becoming someone he is not, as well as ruining all three of their lives in the process. And for Patrick… he mirrors Marion in the way that he fell in love with a version of Tom he, too, created in his head. Either way, he deserved much, much better than he was treated in this book.
It truly is a heartbreaking story. It genuinely hurt to see where the storyline progressed to, and there was no clear resolution. I’m not sure how one would go about resolving a story like that, but the vague final words have me wanting to hunt Bethan Roberts down and ask “What happens next????”
I’m so glad I picked this one up & I cannot wait to see the movie on November 4th.
spice level: