Laugh out loud funny - Rated 
Submarine is proper laugh-out-loud funny all the way through. I can't quote the funniest bits here though cos it would be out of context, and also they are too rude, sometimes extravagantly oedipal, sometimes just plain bonkers.
Yes, the protagonist of this book is an original. Forget the two-dimensional sub-Mole narrator of 'dog in the night time' - this book is in a different league, rightly taking its place among the greats: if you've enjoyed any of the following books, then I suggest you give Submarine a try -
Black Swan Green (Mitchell)
The Wrong Boy (Russell)
There Is A Happy Land (Waterhouse)
Henry Tumour (McGowan)
The Wasp factory (Banks)
Riddley Walker (Hoban)
A Clockwork Orange (Burgess).
if your taste in books is folk flying around on broomsticks, errr, ...
A hilarious first novel - Rated
I love this book. I love Oliver Tate, I imagine that if I am ever lucky enough to meet him, that i would also love Joe Dunthorne. I saw him in Esquire - he's hot as well as being a clossal word genius.
Respect.
A great debut novel - Rated
Submarine is a very witty and frequently moving debut novel, one of those books where the narrator's voice stays in your head long after you've turned the last page. I particularly enjoyed the sections set at the retreat. Dunthorne avoids the obvious trap of making Oliver too saint-like; the reader likes him at times and wants to slap him at other times. In other words, he's real. Buy it, read it. You'll love it.
A fantastically well written tale. - Rated
Submarine is a cracking book. Full of the intrigue, melodrama and messy moments of a teenage boys life, that when told by Joe Dunthorne become a fascinating heroic journey.
A brilliant mischievous read - Rated
This is easily one of the best novels I've read in years. Oliver Tate is the perfect teen hero, a character who knows oh so much about the adult world but has oh so much yet to learn.
Generously overflowing with wicked humour, it chronicles a life-changing mishap year in which Oliver attempts to save his parent's marriage, lose his virginity, keep his girlfriend, and become a man. It is a celebration of delusion and insight, worldliness and innocence, and the everyday challenges of growing up with, or despite, one's family.
Besides a great plot that keeps the pages turning, I found this book hilariously funny. And however easy he is to identify with, Oliver is a one-off - a really distinctive voice from a very talented writer.
Apart from being smart and funny and true, it's a lot of fun: think A Curious Incident meets Skins. Recommend you give Submarine a spin.
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