Cover of The Clementine Complex by Bob Mortimer.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/COURTESY
Flynn Myers, Contributor
The Clementine Complex, a fictional novel written by author Bob Mortimer, demonstrates that dry humor woven into a murder-romance makes for a fun read. For readers who enjoy blunt humor, awkward situations and a good mystery, this is the novel for you. The story follows Gary Thorn, a legal assistant in London, believed to be unremarkable, unwitty and nothing but a nobody. Though Gary proves to have an ordinary life, he is thrown into a rather frightening spin of romance and murder.
The first scene is set with Gary meeting his friend Brendan at a pub, Gary notices a beautiful woman across the bar sending him flirtatious looks while listening to Brendan ramble about work and his funky socks. Brendan leaves the pub to catch up on work, slipping a mysterious note into Gary’s pocket as he goes. Gary continues his night at the pub and makes a move on the woman. While it is revealed to readers that her name is Emily, Gary is left in the dark.
The mix between caustic humor from Brendan and the ominous behavior from Emily creates a very uncomfortable scene. I found that the mix between opposing behaviors helped develop the book and made it more of an enjoyable read.
After Gary awkwardly makes his way across the bar, he sits in front of the woman and they both start to chat. Emily and Gary create an awkward buzzing banter about a book she has with her and her obnoxious bike outside. Their conversation is cut short when Gary leaves for the men’s room. Emily leaves the pub before he returns, leaving behind her book. Following his conversation with Emily, Gary decides he is in love with her.
Gary’s character contradicts itself often, displaying uncertainty and the need for balance, while also claiming recklessly that he knows that Emily is the one for him. The author writes Gary as a comic relief, who also has feelings and wants to fight for his new life, even being stuck in the past. Gary is a very easy character to connect with and is very realistic to me. I appreciated the focus of watching him grow as a character while also not changing the foundation of who he is.
The next day, Gary finds out from two individuals posing as cops that his friend Brendan had been murdered. To Gary’s displeasure, it is thrusted upon him to investigate his friend’s death and discover the killer, since he was in fact the last person to see Brendan. Gary attempts to set the record straight on his whereabouts, but is stopped by multiple barriers, such as fake cops, a girl and a squirrel.
Brendan’s death serves as a great mystery and was intense while also comical. I was taken on many twists and turns while following along in the novel, which allowed more suspense and surprise. I was entertained by the way Gary viewed the mystery. He was reluctant to be the one figuring out his friend’s death because he himself couldn’t believe it, but all the while, he was also trying to clear his name which was very fun to read.
Throughout the novel, Gary shares light-hearted conversations with local squirrels in his town, while also walking his favorite neighbor’s dog. The author utilizes these conversations to present thought-provoking comments which I personally enjoyed. The squirrels are definitely an element worth highlighting in the novel that helped to build the murder case, but also illuminated Gary’s awkward sense of humor and unique life that he was creating.
The romantic part of the book, though not the main focus of the novel, spoke heavily on the two main characters, Gary and Emily – Emily being witty and running from her past and Gary’s unrelenting need for everything to stay just as it is. Throughout the story, readers see these two unlikely characters find commonalities through their awkward humor.
As Gary continues his pursuit of Emily and uncovering the mystery of Brendan’s death, he is faced with his cowardly personality and his shortcomings. Gary gains acceptance of himself through daring moves, which brought the book to life for me. The Clementine Complex was very funny while also threading in suspense. I appreciated the different elements as they wove together throughout.
The remainder of the novel is filled with dry humor, mystery and fun. The novel itself offers many twists and turns, filled with a lightheartedness that was rather remarkable considering the subject matter. I would absolutely recommend The Clementine Complex to anyone looking for a light-hearted romance/mystery mix.