My Policeman by Bethany Roberts
From the moment Marion first lays eyes on Tom -- her best friend's big brother, broad, blond, blue-eyed -- she is smitten. And when he comes home from National Service to be a policeman, Marion, a newly qualified teacher, is determined to win him. Unable to acknowledge the signs that something is amiss, she plunges into marriage, sure that her love is enough for both of them.
But Tom has another life, another equally overpowering claim on his affections. Patrick, a curator at the Brighton Museum, is also besotted with his policeman, and opens Tom's eyes to a world previously unknown to him. But in an age when those of 'minority status' were condemned by society and the law, it is safer for this policeman to marry his teacher. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed.
Unfolding through the dual narratives of Marion and Patrick, both writing about the man at the centre of their lives, this beautifully-told, painful, tragic story is revealed. It is a tale of wasted years, misguided love and thwarted hope, of how at a time when the country was on the verge of change so much was still impossible. Bethan Roberts has produced an intense and exquisitely raw yet tender novel, which proves her to be one of our most exciting young writers.
Review: This novel tells the story of a tragic love triangle and two people who are both in love with the same man and ironically neither of which can ever really be with him. From the moment she first saw him, Marion was obsessed with her best friend's big brother Tom. Refusing to accept the red flags that their relationship isn't quite what it should be, she is determined to marry him. But Tom has a hidden life with Patrick, who works at the Brighton Museum. Set in the 1950s, Tom and Patrick's love can never be an open one and Tom knows the safest choice is to marry Marion and attempt to share his love between his wife and Patrick. But this, of course, does not go smoothly.
Told in dual narratives of Marion and Patrick, both writing about the man they love, this was a moving and beautifully written story about societal restraints, disappointed expectations, and the way love can shatter us. As a reader, I felt empathy for all three individuals in this story but especially Marion, because she is the only one who goes into the marriage not knowing fully what she is agreeing to. Of course, Tom feels like he cannot be open with Marion about his true feelings for Patrick, but it did seem grossly unfair to marry her under false pretenses. Through Marion's narration, the reader learns early on about the trio's unhappy later years and it is grim to build up to it. The early chapters - filled with beautiful seaside swims, the hope of Marion's youthful innocence, and happy outings shared by all three of them - are a stark difference from the dark sadness of the later chapters.
The ending did feel like it just sort of meandered on with no real logical conclusion. And I did have a hard time believing that Tom - who comes across as so open and kind - is capable of becoming such a cold and heartless person in so many ways. On another note, sometimes I wondered what was truly so wonderful about Tom (other than his looks) to make both of them so devoted and obsessed with him. Truly a cautionary tale about the danger of hiding your truth self or trying to lead a double life.
Stars: 3
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