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Review [published June 1999]
Bruce Robinson: The Peculiar Memories Of Thomas Penman
Gary Marshall
In one of his routines, Eddie Izzard explains why supermarkets
don’t have toilet rolls on display near the entrance
in case you think “this is a poo shop! Everything
in here is poo!”. Your first impression of The Peculiar
Memories Of Thomas Penman may well be similar, as
the first chapter revels in the scatological detail of the
eponymous Penman’s difficulties at school. Blackly
funny and completely offensive, the opening chapter
sets the tone for the rest of the book.
You could be forgiven for thinking this is indeed a
‘poo’ book. Defecation is everywhere, from Penman’s
emergencies in the classroom to the war of attrition –
expressed through the medium of dog shit – waged by
his uncommunicative parents. This is definitely not a
book for the easily offended, encompassing Thomas’
Grandfather’s secret stash of pornography (including
photographs of “a woman with a duck up her arse”),
teenage opinions of sex and general unpleasantness.
Robinson, however, manages to stay the right side of
offensiveness and his novel is highly amusing whilst
packing a hefty moral punch.
The novel is essentially a rites-of-passage story,
BUY Bruce Robinson books online from and
covering Penman’s first love and first experience of
mortality, although the unpleasantness of the subject
matter makes The Peculiar Memories Of Thomas
Penman considerably funnier than the typical tale of
growing up. Penman’s infatuation for the far-fromperfect
Gwen cures him of his obsession with his own
bodily functions, and we follow his predicament as his
home life becomes increasingly demented. Robinson
has a deceptively light touch and manages to create as
many uncomfortable laughs of recognition as he does
belly-laughs, particularly when Thomas describes his
feelings for the love of his life or deals with the first
fumblings of teenage sex. Similarly the parental discord
of Thomas’ dysfunctional family is exaggerated to
the point of parody without losing its horror.
The dialogue is bang-on for most of the book and
both Thomas’ secretive relationship with his Grandfather
and his attempts to discover the man’s dark secret
are simultaneously funny and touching. It’s the details,
however, which will have you squirming – from Thomas’
Grandfather’s recollections of the Great War to
conversations about sex where the girl “would have
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