The Satsuma Complex

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The Satsuma Complex
TheSatsumaComplexBobMortimer.jpg
First edition paperback cover of The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
Author Bob Mortimer
LanguageEnglish
Genre Romantic comedy, Mystery fiction
PublisherSimon & Schuster (UK) Gallery/Scout Press (US)
Publication date
October 27, 2022 (UK) September 5, 2023 (US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Pages304
Award Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
ISBN 978-1-398-52364-7
Followed byThe Hotel Avocado 

The Satsuma Complex, released in the US under the name The Clementine Complex, is a 2022 novel by British comedian Bob Mortimer. Writing his autobiography And Away... in 2020 inspired him to write fiction. He aimed to emulate the writing style of Japanese author Haruki Murakami. [1] The Satsuma Complex won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction in 2023. [2] [3] [4] [5] In celebration of the prize, Oakland Farms in East Sussex had a pig named after the novel. [2] [4] [5] It is followed by the novel The Hotel Avocado. [6] [3]

Plot

Gary Thorn, an unremarkable legal assistant, meets with a colleague, Brendan, in a bar. While there, he spots a woman sitting by herself reading a book called The Satsuma Complex. After Brendan leaves, Gary makes conversation with her but does not get her name. The following day, he is told that Brendan has been found dead and that he was the last person to see him. Motivated both by curiosity and a need to establish an alibi, Gary sets out to find the unknown woman (whom he dubs "Satsuma") and to figure out what happened to Brendan that night.

References

  1. ↑ Mortimer, Bob (2023-12-22). "Bob Mortimer: 'I wanted to write like Murakami but soon realised I didn't have the talent'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  2. 1 2 Creamer, Ella (2023-11-20). "Bob Mortimer wins Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for his 'mischievous' debut novel". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  3. 1 2 Fox, Killian (2024-08-25). "The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer review – a not so smashing follow-up". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  4. 1 2 "Mortimer wins Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  5. 1 2 "Bob Mortimer 'chuffed' to celebrate win of 'most unexpected' prize | Virgin Radio UK". virginradio.co.uk. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  6. ↑ Risbridger, Ella (2024-08-23). "The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer review – more affable nonsense". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-05-01.
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