Bob Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough in 1959, the youngest of
four sons. He trained as a solicitor before a chance encounter with
Vic Reeves in the 1980s led to a successful career in comedy as
half of duo Reeves and Mortimer. His screen credits include
Shooting Stars, Big Night Out, Catterick and most recently BBC2's
Gone Fishing. His memoir, And Away…, published in 2021. It became
the bestselling memoir of the year, was named Times and Sunday
Times Humour Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for Non-fiction
Book of the Year at the National Book Awards. The Satsuma Complex
is his first novel.
He's on Twitter and Instagram as @RealBobMortimer.
'The much loved comic proves adept at noirish fiction in a debut
whose surrealist humour sets it apart ... Off the wall doesn’t
quite cover it ... Fans of Mortimer’s surrealist turns on Would I
Lie to You? or his internet sketch show Train Guy won’t be
disappointed. Nor will crime fiction devotees, if only they can get
over the talking squirrels.'
*Observer*
'Funny, clever and sweet – and the "Richard Osman effect" will
make it a bestseller ... The good news is that there is a lot of
Mortimer’s ridiculousness in all this. Gary loves a regular chat
with a squirrel in his playground, and his favourite chat-up lines
include, “Have you ever needed to use a tourniquet in your work
environment?”'
*Sunday Times*
'As in his television work, Mortimer conveys an infectious joy in
his own oddity, and, as his recent bestselling memoir And Away…
showed, there is a sweetness to his worldview that makes his
writing gently poignant. And although I can’t imagine non-fans
emerging anything other than baffled, those who are used to his
brand of weirdness will find that the book works well as a
thriller, too. Like Spike Milligan, the only vintage comic whose
fiction is still read, Mortimer has managed to use a novel as a
vehicle for his distinctive comedic voice.'
*The Telegraph*
'An offbeat romantic thriller, as if Salvador Dali scripted a
Hitchcock film... It's as a comic novel that the book is most
memorable. It contains the funniest description of somebody having
a bath that you're ever likely to read… But there is genuine
tension at times, and I came to believe in and care about the
central characters. More than just a tour of the wonderfully weird
mind of Mortimer, it works - for the most part - as a novel.'
*Daily Express*
'I’m delighted to report it’s as hilarious and surreal as you would
expect… stuffed with laugh-out-loud moments.'
*Daily Mail*
'With Mortimer’s self-mocking wit, plus an audio version read by
Sally Phillips, alongside the man himself, what’s not to love?'
*Saga, Book of the Month*
'The first novel from comedy legend Bob Mortimer is as funny,
idiosyncratic and full of squirrels as you’d expect. It’s also
really rather lovely.'
*HEAT, Book of the Month*
'Mr Clown Shoes. Lassoo the dog. The corn cob dongle. Just three
hilarious elements of The Satsuma Complex – a surprisingly serious
debut novel from Would I Lie To You? and Gone Fishing comedy star
Bob Mortimer. The stellar success of his surreal and semi-truthful
autobiography And Away… caused clamour for a fully fictional
follow-up, and Mortimer fulfils the brief with a remarkably dark
and gritty tale of sink estate murder, law and order mystery, and
honey-trap romance. His distinctive tone and bizarrely British
humour sing from every page, with the story swinging from
side-splitting set-pieces to moments of real pathos and high drama.
It’s a bit unusual, but you’ll love it.'
*Independent*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
