The Throwback
Encyclopedia
The Throwback is a 1978 satirical novel by Tom Sharpe
.
It has been released as a recorded book in two formats: in an abridged version by HarperCollins
Audio read by Simon Callow
(ISBN 0001050761) and unabridged by ISIS Audio Books read by Geoffrey Matthews (ISBN 185695692X)
") in the wilds of Northumberland
, just south of the Anglo-Scottish border
. The single remaining family member is a cantankerous octenegarian named Edwin Tyndale Flawse. His illegitimate grandson Lockhart (aka "the Bastard
") combines sexual and educational innocence with an alarming propensity for violence when he or his wife is threatened. The old man was born in the late 19th century, and his main aim in the very autumn years of his life is to find the father of his bastard grandchild and flog
him within an inch of his life.
The plot involves the pair making a double marriage while on a cruise, Edwin to the grasping middle-aged Mrs. Sandicott (who desires to marry a very rich old man with as short a lifespan remaining as possible) and Lockhart to her innocent and beautiful daughter Jessica (who knows as little of real life as he does and wants nothing more than a stereotypical male hero).
One plot strand has the older couple moving to Flawse Hall; the pair immediately begin fighting as she realises that the old man has no immediate intention of dying and that Flawse Hall is not the aristocractic seat she imagined. The house has no electricity or modern appliances, and is located miles from the nearest town of Black Pockrington and the nearest railway station of Hexham
, and thanks to a clause in her new husband's will although she will inherit everything after he dies, she can never leave or else she'll forfeit the entire estate. The other strand has Lockhart and Jessica moving to Sandicott Crescent in the south London
suburb
of Purley
and fighting an innocents' battle together against the modern world. Lockhart is not at home in his new suburban environment and subsequently loses his job in his mother-in-law's accountancy
firm (courtesy of and in retaliation by his mother-in-law when Edwin's will includes another clause stating that if Lockhart ever finds his natural father the entire Flawse estate and inheritance immediately reverts to him) and longs for home. Unable to get another job since he doesn't statistically exist (thanks to his grandfather's refusal to register him with a birth certificate
or with the National Health Service
), Lockhart embarks on a prolonged, complicated, merciless and ultimately successful campaign to evict the tenants of the houses owned by Jessica so that they can be sold.
The finale has the two strands reunited back in Northumberland and involves the inevitable discovery that the spirit of the Flawse family lives on in "the Bastard" but is spiced up by several deaths, the inclusion of a human taxidermist, extensive use of sound equipment and a vicious battle with the taxmen and "the excise men" (Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Department)).
's writing. The author carefully creates characters and situations such that when the inevitable set-piece is played out, absolute chaos ensues. Lockhart could be said to fit easily alongside the other bizarre central characters in the Sharpe pantheon: classics such as Henry Wilt, Konstabel Els, Skullion, Peregrine Clyde-Brown and Blott.
Additionally, the novel is typical in its use of the tension between exterior social decency and underlying sexual desires and perversions to great comedic effect.
For example, Lockhart, having married the innocent young Jessica, and moving to a suburban crescent of large houses (which she owns but cannot sell due to sitting tenancies), decides that the only way to get rid of the neighbouring tenants is to create absolute mayhem in the neighbourhood. His methods include causing marital misunderstandings, drugging dogs, reversing the flow of sewage, sending sexual toys to old spinsters and adding abrasive chemicals to the inside of a condom. This in turn induces scenes such as the desperate cheese-grating of male genitalia, a full scale battle between the police and the army and a high-speed train crash.
Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
.
It has been released as a recorded book in two formats: in an abridged version by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
Audio read by Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
(ISBN 0001050761) and unabridged by ISIS Audio Books read by Geoffrey Matthews (ISBN 185695692X)
Plot
The plot is based around the ancient Flawse family, landed gentry based at the falling-down Flawse Hall, (near "Flawse FellFell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
") in the wilds of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, just south of the Anglo-Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
. The single remaining family member is a cantankerous octenegarian named Edwin Tyndale Flawse. His illegitimate grandson Lockhart (aka "the Bastard
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
") combines sexual and educational innocence with an alarming propensity for violence when he or his wife is threatened. The old man was born in the late 19th century, and his main aim in the very autumn years of his life is to find the father of his bastard grandchild and flog
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
him within an inch of his life.
The plot involves the pair making a double marriage while on a cruise, Edwin to the grasping middle-aged Mrs. Sandicott (who desires to marry a very rich old man with as short a lifespan remaining as possible) and Lockhart to her innocent and beautiful daughter Jessica (who knows as little of real life as he does and wants nothing more than a stereotypical male hero).
One plot strand has the older couple moving to Flawse Hall; the pair immediately begin fighting as she realises that the old man has no immediate intention of dying and that Flawse Hall is not the aristocractic seat she imagined. The house has no electricity or modern appliances, and is located miles from the nearest town of Black Pockrington and the nearest railway station of Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
, and thanks to a clause in her new husband's will although she will inherit everything after he dies, she can never leave or else she'll forfeit the entire estate. The other strand has Lockhart and Jessica moving to Sandicott Crescent in the south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
and fighting an innocents' battle together against the modern world. Lockhart is not at home in his new suburban environment and subsequently loses his job in his mother-in-law's accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
firm (courtesy of and in retaliation by his mother-in-law when Edwin's will includes another clause stating that if Lockhart ever finds his natural father the entire Flawse estate and inheritance immediately reverts to him) and longs for home. Unable to get another job since he doesn't statistically exist (thanks to his grandfather's refusal to register him with a birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
or with the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
), Lockhart embarks on a prolonged, complicated, merciless and ultimately successful campaign to evict the tenants of the houses owned by Jessica so that they can be sold.
The finale has the two strands reunited back in Northumberland and involves the inevitable discovery that the spirit of the Flawse family lives on in "the Bastard" but is spiced up by several deaths, the inclusion of a human taxidermist, extensive use of sound equipment and a vicious battle with the taxmen and "the excise men" (Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Department)).
Style
The plot and comedy in the book is typical of Tom SharpeTom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
's writing. The author carefully creates characters and situations such that when the inevitable set-piece is played out, absolute chaos ensues. Lockhart could be said to fit easily alongside the other bizarre central characters in the Sharpe pantheon: classics such as Henry Wilt, Konstabel Els, Skullion, Peregrine Clyde-Brown and Blott.
Additionally, the novel is typical in its use of the tension between exterior social decency and underlying sexual desires and perversions to great comedic effect.
For example, Lockhart, having married the innocent young Jessica, and moving to a suburban crescent of large houses (which she owns but cannot sell due to sitting tenancies), decides that the only way to get rid of the neighbouring tenants is to create absolute mayhem in the neighbourhood. His methods include causing marital misunderstandings, drugging dogs, reversing the flow of sewage, sending sexual toys to old spinsters and adding abrasive chemicals to the inside of a condom. This in turn induces scenes such as the desperate cheese-grating of male genitalia, a full scale battle between the police and the army and a high-speed train crash.