Bethan Roberts’ novel My Policeman is a poignant and heartbreaking exploration of love, betrayal, and the corrosive power of secrets, set against the backdrop of 1950s Brighton. While the book has gained fame due to its film adaptation, the novel itself is a deeply intimate and melancholic work that stands on its own as a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Told primarily from the perspective of Marion, the schoolteacher who marries the titular policeman, Tom, the narrative unravels a life defined by a hidden truth: Tom’s consuming love for another man.
The story is a slow-burning tragedy, anchored by a suffocating love triangle. We are introduced to the three central figures in their youth: Tom, the handsome, charismatic policeman; Marion, his earnest and hopeful wife; and Patrick, the sophisticated museum curator who becomes Tom’s secret lover. Roberts expertly paints a picture of a society where such a relationship was not only illegal but a source of profound shame and danger. This societal repression is the novel’s true antagonist, shaping every choice and defining every life.
What makes the book so compelling is its dual timeline and shifting perspectives. The story is primarily narrated by an older Marion, looking back on her life with a mixture of resentment, regret, and a fragile sense of understanding. Her recollections are interspersed with diary entries from Patrick, which offer a parallel and equally painful account of his affair with Tom. This structure allows Roberts to delve into the inner lives of both characters, revealing their hopes, their fears, and the devastating compromises they are forced to make. We see Marion’s desperate attempt to build a “normal” life, even as she is haunted by the feeling that a part of her husband is forever out of reach. We also witness Patrick’s passionate, yet ultimately doomed, romance with Tom, a relationship he cherishes despite the constant threat of exposure.
Roberts’ prose is understated and elegant, yet powerfully evocative. She captures the textures and sounds of 1950s Brighton with a vivid realism, from the salt spray of the seaside to the hushed formality of the museum. The dialogue is often sparse, leaving much unsaid, which perfectly mirrors the unspoken truths that govern the characters’ lives. The emotional weight of the story is carried not just by the events that unfold, but by the things left unsaid—the longing glances, the silent resentments, and the quiet despair that lingers for decades.
In the end, My Policeman is not a simple romance; it is a profound study of how social constraints can twist and contort human relationships. It explores the cost of living a lie and the long-term consequences of a single, fateful decision. Marion, Patrick, and Tom are all victims in their own way, trapped by a world that refused to accept them for who they truly were. The novel is a moving and heartbreaking reminder of the enduring power of love and the immense price some must pay for it.
Bethan Roberts: A Short Biography
Bethan Roberts is a British novelist, short-story writer, and dramatist for BBC Radio 4. Born in Abingdon and raised in nearby Oxford, her work is often concerned with a strong sense of place. She has worked in television documentary and has taught Creative Writing at several institutions, including Chichester University and Goldsmiths College, London. Roberts currently lives in Brighton with her family.
Published Novels
- The Pools (2007) – This novel won a Jerwood/Arvon Young Writers’ Award.
- The Good Plain Cook (2008) – It was serialized on BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and was chosen as one of Time Out‘s books of the year.
- My Policeman (2012) – The subject of this review, this book was selected as the City Read for Brighton in 2012 and has since been adapted into a film.
- Mother Island (2014) – This novel won a Jerwood/Fiction Uncovered Prize.
- Graceland (2019) – The novel is a recreation of the early life of Elvis Presley, told through the voice of his mother, Gladys.
