Fifteen-year old Oliver Tate is the book's wry, witty, and older-than-his-years narrator. He gives his parents questionnaires like "What are the likely hereditary diseases I will develop?" and writes hysterical diary entries about his family that his girlfriend critiques.
Meanwhile his mother plucks away on Yahoo, typing in names for yet-to-be discovered mental diseases in the hopes of curing herself? Oliver? Her husband? Oliver calls his father "Holiday Dad" when he's merry and not feeling depressed, and determines the current romantic status of his parents' relationship by the dimmer switch level in their bedroom.
I don't often laugh out loud reading a book, but this story, this narrator: too-good-to-be-true funny. I would randomly quote from the book around my family when I was reading it, and judging from their reactions and subsequent readings of the book, I'd say I'm not the only one who thinks Submarine could quite honestly become a cult classic. It's that good.
Meanwhile his mother plucks away on Yahoo, typing in names for yet-to-be discovered mental diseases in the hopes of curing herself? Oliver? Her husband? Oliver calls his father "Holiday Dad" when he's merry and not feeling depressed, and determines the current romantic status of his parents' relationship by the dimmer switch level in their bedroom.
I don't often laugh out loud reading a book, but this story, this narrator: too-good-to-be-true funny. I would randomly quote from the book around my family when I was reading it, and judging from their reactions and subsequent readings of the book, I'd say I'm not the only one who thinks Submarine could quite honestly become a cult classic. It's that good.
