Rupert Thomson’s How to Make a Bomb (published in 2024) is a striking, unconventional novel that follows Philip Notman, a London historian unraveling after a mysterious existential crisis sparks during a trip to Norway. Written in a sparse, poetic style—eschewing full stops and quotation marks for line breaks and minimal punctuation—the narrative mirrors Notman’s fractured psyche as he abandons his family, chasing meaning from Cádiz to Crete. Thomson blends dark humor with a satirical edge, probing modern alienation and masculinity’s quiet rage, though the titular bomb feels more metaphorical than literal until a jarring, ambiguous climax. While the experimental form and vivid settings captivate, the protagonist’s self-absorption may distance some readers. It’s a bold, thought-provoking work from a singular voice, and one of the UKs most underrated novelists

Rupert Thomson's 'How to Make a Bomb' is the story of a man's midlife crisis. On his way home from a conference in Bergen, middle aged historian Philip Notman has a revelation, and from that point on his life takes on a very different trajectory. Thomson's decision to leave the ending open was a bold one, and I'm not sure it quite worked for me. But I did really enjoy the novel.

Philip Notman, a renowned historian, travels to a conference in Bergen, Norway. Upon returning to London and reuniting with his family, he experiences an unexpected and puzzling event that disrupts his normal life.

I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. The descriptions are vivid and engaging. Although the initial lack of punctuation made for a challenging read, the poetic style with short lines and paragraphs eventually enhanced the experience. The book's intriguing nature made it hard to put down.

A beautifully written, immersive novel with a provocative title. It is written in an unusual style with line breaks replacing full stops which doesn’t distract and, strangely, isn’t noticeable after reading a couple of pages.
The novel is about Phillip Notman an academic researching a biography of an obscure historical figure. Following a conference in Norway he starts to question his ordinary life with his wife Anya. A mid-life crisis that makes him not only question the direction his life is taking but also the direction the human race is taking. Will he return to his family life or take a more drastic course of action.
Every novel by Rupert Thomson has something to offer and this no exception. Excellent novel.

I’ve only read one other book by Rupert Thomson and that was back in 2016, a historical mystery called Secrecy. How To Make A Bomb is very different. Firstly it’s not set in 17th century Florence but in the present day. Stylistically it’s different too. Each sentence in the book starts on a new line, there are no quotation marks or full stops, but plenty of commas and the occasional question mark.

I liked the idea of a malaise created by the modern world with its proliferation of choices and where everything has been designed to the nth degree. For Philip Notman this ‘civilisation sickness’ manifests itself both physically, as he experiences bouts of intense nausea and dizziness, and psychologically, as he starts to question the artificiality of modern life. ‘Everything I see around me has been thought about. Everything has been made.’

Leaving his wife Anya behind because he fears she won’t understand what he’s experiencing – and who could blame her – he retreats to a house in a remote part of Crete in search of a simpler more unconnected lifestyle. ‘He had clicked on unsubscribe.’

It offers a temporary respite but he becomes unnerved when he learns about the violent history of both the house and the island. Various events make him conclude that positive action, as opposed to eloquent manifestos, is sometimes the only way to achieve change.

I enjoyed the observational humour, such as Philip’s experience of navigating the Duty Free zone at the airport, the ‘glitzy, tyrannical no-man’s-land that lay between Security and the Departure Lounge’. I also enjoyed the insights into the early days of Philip and Anya’s relationship when he seemed like a genuinely funny and appealing person. And I liked the fact that often the wisest insights came from female characters. However, as the book progressed, for me, Philip’s story began to resemble more a mid-life crisis than an earth-shattering revelation about modern day life. And the ending left me a bit puzzled. Did he actually carry out his plan or did he just imagine doing it? Although maybe we’re being invited to think about what might cause someone to take such an action…

How To Make A Bomb was one of those books that made me wonder if I was quite clever enough to understand what the author was attempting to communicate. But it was fun trying.

I found this to be compulsive reading. On the surface it seems to be the simple story of the mental breakdown of Philip Notman: he is a historian, living in London, who has some sort of internal crisis on his return journey from a conference in Bergen, beginning a strange odyssey to Spain and Crete, But the spare writing (line breaks, careful punctuation but no full stops?) takes the reader inside Philip's head in a way which creates slowly building tension which makes the book very gripping.

As he travels and struggles with decisions about his future, Philip imagines future scenarios resulting from such decisions and these mesh weirdly with the real life but dreamlike encounters with strangers which determine his progress. The geographies of Spain, Crete and south London provide a vivid backdrop.

His faux philosophical ramblings perhaps signal an intensification of his mental distress and the climax of the book is faintly ridiculous and requires some suspension of disbelief but perhaps it is all an imagined scenario? This reader was left wondering. The ending suggests some possibility that he may recover and fit back into his previous life.

An intriguing read. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I started reading this book tentatively as I had no odea where it was going. Soon, I was immersed in Philip Notman's unsettled life. Thomson maintains an air of anxiety and doom throughout as Notman tries to untangle his thoughts from London to Cadiz and then Crete. Through everyday interactions and observations, Notman ploughs through his disturbing thoughts. An excellent read with a more than unexpected ending.

This novel tells the story of one man’s midlife crisis , he suddenly becomes overwhelmed and sees the need to run away from his day-to-day life . The story covers one summer of this man’s life as he runs away from his wife and the life that he is leading apparently unexceptionally before the start of the novel and find himself meeting up with a women who he’s only met briefly in the past And then taking up the offer of some strangers who offer him the use of their remote European holiday cottage. The Story follows him and see me and around from Place to Place and we meet a collection of interesting quirky side characters
The author has a distinctive writing style made up with short sentences. This is a short book filled with Sparsely poetic language making it very memorable
I found the European settings in this novel felt very real and was central to the story really meant made me feel. I’d like to go on holiday myself.
The decision to make the bomb comes quite suddenly and unexpectedly. I suppose you know it’s going to happen because the title of the book but probably not quite so literally. I personally found this element is a novel less believable and that the bomb going off in his own personal life is enough without the literal bomb itself
I’ve not read any of this authors previous novels but I shall definitely be searching for them after I’ve read this novel.
I read a copy of another on NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 11th of April 2024 by Head of Zeus Apollo.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com
It will also appear on Amazon UK.

A successful historian goes through midlife crisis, and this is his strange quest to meaning and discovery. I liked the employment of poetry reminiscent writing and the layout, which made this read more flowy and interesting for me. It is a quick read, however the themes and questions tackled will stay with me longer and I will looking forward to reading the author’s future work. I also enjoyed the balance between the usual and the strange/the dark. At times, I was not able to connect with the main character, though the ambiguity is highly enjoyable. The fast pacing of such a commonly observed but uniquely expressed material is another positive.

Rupert Thomson may just be one of English literature’s best kept secrets. For over thirty years now he’s quietly built up a body of work that ranges far and wide. From historical murder-mysteries (Secrecy), Gordon Burn-style factual fiction (Death of a Murderer), allegorical fantasy (Divided Kingdom - which appeared to predict Scots nationalism, Brexit and the culture wars), and gothic psychodramas (The Book of Revelation). If there are some common threads it’s a preoccupation with the shadowy corners of the world and the male psyche, and a search to match his cool, minimal style for the content.

The content this time is the male psyche of Philip Notman, a middle-aged historian who has an epiphany on the way home from a conference in Bergen. Touching his travelcard at the airport he has a vision of every time he checked in, every travelcard touching every passgate during every journey. The hidden workings of the universe opens up under his feet.

From this moment Philip’s life unravels in what is a parodic midlife crisis. What has sparked all this? Another parodic catalyst - the mysterious and flirtatious conference colleague, a dark-haired Spanish academic called Ines. Notman leaves his wife, son and family behind and embarks on a quest to discover - well what exactly he is looking for is not clear to him. Notman’s quest takes in first Ines’s life in Cadiz, a remote village in Crete, and finally an off-grid caravan in south London. Along the way his encounters include an almost-affair, an opportunity for heroism, and even a quasi-religious experience. Underpinning all of this is of course the subject of every middle-aged quest: why am I here? What means anything? Thomson has a huge amount of fun frustrating his everyman Notman (nominative determinism alert) in this search for the meaning of life.

Events in the last quarter of the novel take a darker turn, as Thomson shifts from showing how easily a life can empty out to the half-moored and radical ideas that could all-too-easily fill this void. Thomson here goes over some of the ground Hari Kunzru covered in Red Pill a few years ago, but far more adroitly and wittily.

Thomson has carried the banner for experimentation and form, and so it continues here. There’s little in the way of punctuation or quotation marks, and his technique of starting every new thought or sentence with a new line works brilliantly here - foregrounding Notman’s thoughts at every turn as he wrestles with his first world problems. Thomson fans rejoice in another compelling read, for those new to his singular style this is a great place to start.

This was a strange little book about descendent into madness and a mid-life crisis. I found it propulsive and readable but I did struggle to connect with the character. I think the inability to pin down and understand the character is the point but I think it went to an extreme that didn't quite work for me.

I enjoyed this much more than expected and don't really understand the low number of reviews.

Ok, it's about a white, middle-aged man, going through a midlife crisis, and fair enough if people feel enough has been written about those. But that doesn't mean this isn't a good book!

Philip Notman is a historian. Travelling back from a conference in Bergen, he has an overwhelming experience of heightened reality, which leads him to question consumerism and modern society. It gradually becomes clear to him that what he needs is a more simple life. He travels to Cadiz and then on to Crete, gradually stripping away unnecessary layers of life, until reaching the ultimate conclusion.

This novel got to me. It isn’t only about a man having a crisis; it’s also about a search for meaning, a longing for connection, a criticism of modern life. I read this more or less in two sittings and was really immersed and impressed by it. Sometimes you read a book at just the right moment. This was that book for me.
Thank you Head of Zeus and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

I hadnt read any of Mr Thomson's books before this and have to admit was sucked in by the title and premise.
I was immediately drawn to the style and the layout, it felt quite tense and that something significant was going to happen at any minute. Then I bored of it and the protagonist slightly and thought it was a bit pretentious and false, then the ending was very disappointing so was still ambivalent.
However, it is now a few days since I finished reading the book and I'm still thinking about parts of it and the ideas discussed pertaining to reality, so I will definitely be looking to read some of the author's previous work
Thank you to netgalley and Head of zeus for an advance copy of this book

"How to Make a Bomb" by Rupert Thomson is a gripping exploration of identity, obsession, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction. Thomson's prose is mesmerizing as he delves into the mind of his protagonist, crafting a haunting narrative that challenges perceptions and leaves readers questioning the nature of truth.

Rupert Thomson's "Dartmouth Park" isn't your typical midlife crisis story. Philip Notman, a seemingly ordinary academic, experiences a jarring disconnect from reality on a train ride home. This unsettling event triggers a mental unraveling, forcing him to question everything he thought he knew about his life.

Thomson masterfully crafts a world where the mundane becomes menacing. Philip's journey takes him from his London home to chase answers in Spain, but the real exploration is internal. The narrative is fast-paced and suspenseful, keeping you on edge as Philip grapples with his fractured perception.

"Dartmouth Park" is a thought-provoking novel that delves into themes of estrangement, identity, and the unreliability of perception. Thomson's sharp prose exposes the fragility of our constructed realities, leaving the reader questioning their own sense of truth.

Recommendation: A must-read for those who enjoy unsettling psychological fiction and stories that challenge our understanding of the world.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

This is a very good and enjoyable read although I don't like the title. I see it was released as Dartmouth Park in the USA, which isn't any better as neither title encapsulates the book.

I found this to be an engrossing and thought provoking, unsettling read and I think it captures very well the condition of hyper sensitivity. I felt that there was a sort of misty, dreamlike quality to the writing which I liked and a lot of the scenes stay in the mind. I have discovered that the book is written in the style of an epic poem although I can't say that I noticed that! I also didn't notice the short sentences or lack of punctuation. I just felt involved with Philip's struggles, albeit that they are very much First World problems and some might say a bit self indulgent.

Cadiz sounds lovely and I have followed up on the flamenco artists mentioned. But those small Cretan villages sound absolutely grim.

I was thoroughly involved in the journey, the feelings, the mysteries but I think it all fell apart a bit when he starts living in the caravan and I thought the ending seemed abrupt. Maybe there were deeper things going on that I just didn't see.

Philip Notman, an acclaimed historian, attends a conference in Bergen, Norway. On his return to London, and to his wife and son, something unexpected and inexplicable happens to him, and he is unable to settle back into his normal life.

I enjoyed this book so much, the descriptions are amazing. It did take a while to get going as the lack of punctuation made for a difficult read, initially. It actually seems to be written like a poem at times. Short lines and paragraphs make it easy to read. I found it so intriguing it was difficult to put down.
This book is many things; a man dealing with his midlife crisis; the struggles with his emotions; even, in part, a travelogue. But it’s beautifully written and a wonderful read.

This is my first encounter with the author and I find it very interesting. Is such a immersive and intense read for me, the style is written it make it a bit difficult for me to read it but it was a good way of make me focus in the book and enjoy the “poem” I find the middle age crisis a so relatable and I really liked the characters. I am going to read more of this author because this book was a big yes and good read for me

I decided to pick up this book because the cover is astounding and, in combination with the title, it really drew me in. Unfortunately, at about 26% of the book I decided to DNF it. It just isn't for me, or at least not in this very moment. I found the plot quite interesting, and I do like the idea of a grown man who decides to pick up and go on a 'self discovery journey' to understand who he is and what is happening to him. And I am still curious to see what will happen. But the writing style made every page seem like we were on the verge of something, and then nothing actually happened. This made the book a too slow for me. I am giving it three stars anyways, because I think the idea of the plot, for what I have read, is extremely interesting.