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Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really: A Novel
Informed by an intense pressure of language, wit, and energy, Things That Are Funny on a Submarine but Not Really enraptures with the colorful world of David, nicknamed "Dead Man," and his shipmates. Stationed in Guam, they sail the depths of the oceans, swapping jokes and stories while strengthening bonds continually tested by the rigors of submarine life. But when one shipmate is revealed as a Chinese spy, and another takes his own life, Dead Man is burdened by a repressed guilt and left with a lingering trauma.
Searching for a change, Dead Man leaves the Navy to start fresh as a college student, but his past refuses to let go. The ghosts of former shipmates—both dead and alive—continue to haunt him, and unwilling to stay mired in his turbulent memories, Dead Man navigates the complex terrain of identity and searches for meaning after reentering a way of life that feels increasingly foreign.
Written with Yannick Murphy’s distinctive and darkly humorous style, Things That Are Funny on a Submarine but Not Really is a headlong, entertaining dive into an authentic and emotional exploration of what it means to find one's way in a rapidly changing world.
Searching for a change, Dead Man leaves the Navy to start fresh as a college student, but his past refuses to let go. The ghosts of former shipmates—both dead and alive—continue to haunt him, and unwilling to stay mired in his turbulent memories, Dead Man navigates the complex terrain of identity and searches for meaning after reentering a way of life that feels increasingly foreign.
Written with Yannick Murphy’s distinctive and darkly humorous style, Things That Are Funny on a Submarine but Not Really is a headlong, entertaining dive into an authentic and emotional exploration of what it means to find one's way in a rapidly changing world.
- GenresFiction
384 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
15 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Yannick Murphy
25 books65 followersYannick Murphy is the author of the novels, The Call, Signed, Mata Hari, Here They Come, and The Sea of Trees. Her story collections include Stories in Another Language and In a Bear's Eye. Her children's books include The Cold Water Witch, Baby Polar, and Ahwhoooooooo!. She is the recipient of various awards including a Whiting Writer's Award, a National Endowment for the Arts award, a Chesterfield Screenwriting award and her story In a Bear's Eye was recently published in the 2007 O'Henry Prize Stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 31, 2025
Interesting book. It’s hard to say I liked it because I hated the main character. The story was engaging enough but his actions were unjustifiable. Nothing that’s as described about his and Trintin’s relationship explained for me why he was willing to risk the lives of everyone else in the boat and his own freedom for him. Unless there was meant to be so homoerotic undertones that I didn’t pick up in. He was a terrible person who never awknlowedged his actions and what could have happened as a result of them. The last third was just him feeling out of place out of the navy. No introspection whatsoever which I found annoying. I did however think the story was really good and even if I disagreed with the direction of the character that doesn’t make it bad. His moral ambiguity was clever and Effective in making the audience feel. Which is all an author can really want from an audience.
October 2, 2025
An immature young man joins the US Navy because his father is fond of submarines.He gets to make his father proud and lives in submarines for a few years. In there, he makes some friends - men of different ages and paths in life.
Some of them are married to strippers, with children. Some of them about to get married to a stripper. What is the thing with strippers, exactly? I never knew there was such an overlap between strippers and the Navy.
The first half was fun to read. The novel is written in the first person, and we get attached to Old Man. He has a good sense of humour, a ton of wit, and a serious lack of maturity. It is probably what happens when you join the US Navy right after high school. You embark on a submarine instead of getting a girlfriend and going to college. The lack of "common" formative experiences gets in the way of growth. It also makes it harder to relate to other people and make friends.
But then, the novel becomes darker. You begin to see what is lurking below the surface. Political tensions. Rules of aggression. Who gets to fire the nukes, when and why? Where does the danger come from when you live in a submarine? How can so many men live together in a small space without natural light for so long without killing each other out of frustration? What kind of desperation leads the doc to get high on drugs from the med kit?
Several reviewers mentioned the unforgivable actions of Old Man, and how unsufferable he was. Well, I did not completely root for him, but I understand. Old Man is put in a double bind (reading this will not spoil the novel for you, I promise). How can he betray his team mate, fellow radio operator, and closest friend without solid proof? The expectations from his superiors are that he spies on the other guy. He cannot do it. He is too immature to understand that if his friend really is a spy, they might all die in the end - the first step in a chain of catastrophic events that could escalate into nuclear war. Old Man does not get it. Mentally, he is just a cynical teenager (he is in his twenties, technically, but the maturity is not there). Even in the face of evidence, Old Man clings to denial (a powerful force, applying even to wiser and more mature people). We are left in a limbo that ressembles The Opposite Shore (which I read again this year). You know there is a spy. You know terrible things might happen. But the spy is your friend, and you do not want to lose them - so you might risk everything.
The second part of the novel (after he leaves the navy) was weaker. I would have preferred a longer "first part" focusing on life on the submarine and the dynamics of betrayal, followed by a sequel. Anyways, you do not have to read the second part of the book. You can read parts 1 and 2 and just stop there. It will not ruin anything. Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really was fun to read, and I felt invested in the characters. I even learned some things about submarines.
Thank you Yannick Murphy, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
Some of them are married to strippers, with children. Some of them about to get married to a stripper. What is the thing with strippers, exactly? I never knew there was such an overlap between strippers and the Navy.
The first half was fun to read. The novel is written in the first person, and we get attached to Old Man. He has a good sense of humour, a ton of wit, and a serious lack of maturity. It is probably what happens when you join the US Navy right after high school. You embark on a submarine instead of getting a girlfriend and going to college. The lack of "common" formative experiences gets in the way of growth. It also makes it harder to relate to other people and make friends.
But then, the novel becomes darker. You begin to see what is lurking below the surface. Political tensions. Rules of aggression. Who gets to fire the nukes, when and why? Where does the danger come from when you live in a submarine? How can so many men live together in a small space without natural light for so long without killing each other out of frustration? What kind of desperation leads the doc to get high on drugs from the med kit?
Several reviewers mentioned the unforgivable actions of Old Man, and how unsufferable he was. Well, I did not completely root for him, but I understand. Old Man is put in a double bind (reading this will not spoil the novel for you, I promise). How can he betray his team mate, fellow radio operator, and closest friend without solid proof? The expectations from his superiors are that he spies on the other guy. He cannot do it. He is too immature to understand that if his friend really is a spy, they might all die in the end - the first step in a chain of catastrophic events that could escalate into nuclear war. Old Man does not get it. Mentally, he is just a cynical teenager (he is in his twenties, technically, but the maturity is not there). Even in the face of evidence, Old Man clings to denial (a powerful force, applying even to wiser and more mature people). We are left in a limbo that ressembles The Opposite Shore (which I read again this year). You know there is a spy. You know terrible things might happen. But the spy is your friend, and you do not want to lose them - so you might risk everything.
The second part of the novel (after he leaves the navy) was weaker. I would have preferred a longer "first part" focusing on life on the submarine and the dynamics of betrayal, followed by a sequel. Anyways, you do not have to read the second part of the book. You can read parts 1 and 2 and just stop there. It will not ruin anything. Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really was fun to read, and I felt invested in the characters. I even learned some things about submarines.
Thank you Yannick Murphy, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
June 26, 2025
"Alright. Alright. Alright." The submarine captain's voice bears an eerie resemblance to Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused. The men quote the movie after every announcement, an ongoing joke -- one of many -- that set the contours of life in the "big steel tube of dumb." We join David, called "Dead Man" (for no really good reason, actually) as he and his shipmates try to deal with extreme boredom, closeness, stink, and the constant threat of death. Set in three parts, the first part of the book shapes an understanding of what service life may be like, something Dead Man laments early on that he can't communicate to others. In this book, he deals with a friend's attempted suicide and the suspicion that another friend is a spy for the Chinese. In book 2, he returns to life as a civie, still hearing the voice of his dead friend -- his constant "cheerleader" who is haunting Dead Man for the sole purpose of getting him to go to college. In book 3, we see Dead Man/David starting to adjust to college life. These latter two books explore how the 5 years in the Navy has made it difficult for David to adjust to life outside. "All veterans can hope for is that someday we won't be living in the half worlds any longer, and we'll be in one world, but so far, every day that I'm here in college, I'm reminded of how I'm straddling both worlds and doing a piss-poor job of it at that."
The title of this book is spot on. Things that were funny on a submarine are not really funny at all. I struggled greatly with the toxic masculinity in this book, with its misogyny, fatphobia, ableism, and homophobia. While there could be an argument for some of these jokes on a submarine, which I imagine is rampant with these issues, even his sister, when he was home, made fun of people with autism. There is an argument presented in this book for the use of this technique, which essentially suggests that it is what men on submarines need to do to cope with the possibility of death. That is part of straddling those two worlds that he needs to deal with (which doesn't explain the sister). However, it was grating to me and makes me more hesitant to recommend this book to others, even though I substantially enjoyed it due to the unique setting and feeling like I gained some understanding of some of the struggles veterans face -- not to mention what life on a sub may be like. If you can get past the use of this language, you leave feeling that you know David and his struggles, and care about him. Despite the toxic masculinity language, his actions are those of a good guy overall and one that you want to see win.
This was an ARC review from NetGalley.
The title of this book is spot on. Things that were funny on a submarine are not really funny at all. I struggled greatly with the toxic masculinity in this book, with its misogyny, fatphobia, ableism, and homophobia. While there could be an argument for some of these jokes on a submarine, which I imagine is rampant with these issues, even his sister, when he was home, made fun of people with autism. There is an argument presented in this book for the use of this technique, which essentially suggests that it is what men on submarines need to do to cope with the possibility of death. That is part of straddling those two worlds that he needs to deal with (which doesn't explain the sister). However, it was grating to me and makes me more hesitant to recommend this book to others, even though I substantially enjoyed it due to the unique setting and feeling like I gained some understanding of some of the struggles veterans face -- not to mention what life on a sub may be like. If you can get past the use of this language, you leave feeling that you know David and his struggles, and care about him. Despite the toxic masculinity language, his actions are those of a good guy overall and one that you want to see win.
This was an ARC review from NetGalley.
September 8, 2025
Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really by Yannick Murphy is a mostly fun read that will likely appeal more to someone who never served on subs. But even those of us who have can find enough to still enjoy it.
There aren't a lot of glaring things that scream Murphy is going off of secondhand stories of life on a fast attack, but lots of little things that just stick out and make reading it less enjoyable. From the beginning, the small errors and sweeping generalizations make submariners a little skeptical as they keep reading. A BCD is not the same as a dishonorable discharge, while we call subs boats, we still refer to sub school as sub school, not boat school. With those things happening at the start of the book, the authenticity is seriously undermined. Like I said, not a problem for those who didn't spend time on a sub.
Once you accept the fact that it isn't realistic, or rather isn't very realistic, you can try to bracket what you know and just enjoy the human aspects as if it was a science fiction book written in a similar but different world. The human interactions are what will make or break the novel anyway.
Perhaps the reason I ended up very middle of the road was that the part of the book I liked best was also the part where small Navy/military details could be picked apart, then when those elements are gone, the story just didn't really work very well for me. That said you will likely find the first part more appealing than I did (unless you also earned your dolphins).
I really thought this would be up my alley. I was a reactor operator (ET) on a fast attack submarine and didn't go to college until well after getting out. I should have been the ideal reader. Because of that, my disappointment may be harsher than it should be. I would, however, still recommend this to most readers who like to read about a protagonist that you may not like very much but who you get to know well enough to understand where they are coming from even if you disagree with his actions.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
There aren't a lot of glaring things that scream Murphy is going off of secondhand stories of life on a fast attack, but lots of little things that just stick out and make reading it less enjoyable. From the beginning, the small errors and sweeping generalizations make submariners a little skeptical as they keep reading. A BCD is not the same as a dishonorable discharge, while we call subs boats, we still refer to sub school as sub school, not boat school. With those things happening at the start of the book, the authenticity is seriously undermined. Like I said, not a problem for those who didn't spend time on a sub.
Once you accept the fact that it isn't realistic, or rather isn't very realistic, you can try to bracket what you know and just enjoy the human aspects as if it was a science fiction book written in a similar but different world. The human interactions are what will make or break the novel anyway.
Perhaps the reason I ended up very middle of the road was that the part of the book I liked best was also the part where small Navy/military details could be picked apart, then when those elements are gone, the story just didn't really work very well for me. That said you will likely find the first part more appealing than I did (unless you also earned your dolphins).
I really thought this would be up my alley. I was a reactor operator (ET) on a fast attack submarine and didn't go to college until well after getting out. I should have been the ideal reader. Because of that, my disappointment may be harsher than it should be. I would, however, still recommend this to most readers who like to read about a protagonist that you may not like very much but who you get to know well enough to understand where they are coming from even if you disagree with his actions.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
September 5, 2025
I liked this book, I hated Dead Man.
The first half of the book was a trip - the stories and interactions aboard the submarine while Dead Man was enlisted were riveting. Crass, rude, at times incredibly scary, the boys on the submarine had a lot of personality and a ton of heart.
Once Dead Man leaves, however, I really couldn't keep rooting for him. Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really addresses what happens to a lot of young veterans with little to no life experience prior to enlisting: they have a lot of trouble relating to civilians post discharge. Dead Man consistently feels like he has to reel himself in and monitor what he says in order to "not offend people" - but oh my god, Dead Man, that's just part of being a decent human being and a regular member of society. You don't get bonus points for being minimally polite on a daily basis just because you were in the military.
Highlights: the relationships between the 'bubbleheads' both on shore and while underway.
Lowlights: Dead Man. Man, you make some terrible choices. And maybe lay off the slurs.
The first half of the book was a trip - the stories and interactions aboard the submarine while Dead Man was enlisted were riveting. Crass, rude, at times incredibly scary, the boys on the submarine had a lot of personality and a ton of heart.
Once Dead Man leaves, however, I really couldn't keep rooting for him. Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really addresses what happens to a lot of young veterans with little to no life experience prior to enlisting: they have a lot of trouble relating to civilians post discharge. Dead Man consistently feels like he has to reel himself in and monitor what he says in order to "not offend people" - but oh my god, Dead Man, that's just part of being a decent human being and a regular member of society. You don't get bonus points for being minimally polite on a daily basis just because you were in the military.
Highlights: the relationships between the 'bubbleheads' both on shore and while underway.
Lowlights: Dead Man. Man, you make some terrible choices. And maybe lay off the slurs.
January 8, 2026
David, aka "Dead Man," became a submariner directly out of high school. He is stationed out of Guam and the first part of the novel has him floating about in the big steel tube of dumb, ribbing his shipmates, arguing about the relative merits of movies, cartoons, and music, and eating weirdly cooked and often expired food products. It's a bit of a grand life, really, until it isn't. The lighthearted banter takes a dark turn as Dead Man's friend, Genadier, attempts suicide and David gradually finds out what some of his fellow sailors are up to. When he gets his discharge from the Navy, he heeds his parents' entreaties and goes to college on the GI bill, and here the novel shifts. Part two is less amusing but beautifully observed as Dead Man begins to recognize the effects of his truncated set of experiences, and tries to find a way to move forward--all the while resisting the pull of an old bad-news shipmate who has re-enlisted. It's a lovely coming of age story and I thought it was a great read.
August 22, 2025
This is an easy book to like, but a hard book to love.
The first half or 2/3 is set on fast attack nuclear submarine and military housing on Guam. The writing is past-paced, funny, interesting, and most of all, authentic. It includes so many visceral details like sound and smell that you almost feel like you're there.
Unfortunately it slows down when the main character leaves the Navy and goes to college instead. He doesn't adjust very well at first though he gets better as the story goes along, which may be an important story to tell but it feels like a letdown after the first part. I would have preferred to see these two sections as two separate books akin to All Quiet on the Western Front and the spiritual sequel The Road Back.
3.5/5 stars
I got a free copy from NetGalley.
The first half or 2/3 is set on fast attack nuclear submarine and military housing on Guam. The writing is past-paced, funny, interesting, and most of all, authentic. It includes so many visceral details like sound and smell that you almost feel like you're there.
Unfortunately it slows down when the main character leaves the Navy and goes to college instead. He doesn't adjust very well at first though he gets better as the story goes along, which may be an important story to tell but it feels like a letdown after the first part. I would have preferred to see these two sections as two separate books akin to All Quiet on the Western Front and the spiritual sequel The Road Back.
3.5/5 stars
I got a free copy from NetGalley.
January 18, 2026
This book is an excellent depiction of life as a young service member and the struggles young men and women go through as they try to transition out of such a specific lifestyle and into “normal life”.
The language is offensive, the themes of “toxic masculinity, fatphobia, homophobia etc” are real. It’s something that people who haven’t experienced just don’t understand. The military uses these crass comments as a mechanism of humor to get us through rather unpleasant and stressful times.
What I love about this book is the author doesn’t hide that from the reader. For a fictional story the inter workings of the characters couldn’t be more real.
The language is offensive, the themes of “toxic masculinity, fatphobia, homophobia etc” are real. It’s something that people who haven’t experienced just don’t understand. The military uses these crass comments as a mechanism of humor to get us through rather unpleasant and stressful times.
What I love about this book is the author doesn’t hide that from the reader. For a fictional story the inter workings of the characters couldn’t be more real.
November 3, 2025
4.5 stars. Dead Man has served on a Navy submarine for 5 years, but he hopes to get out and go to college to become a writer. This was surprisingly good as I grew to love and root for him. While I was reading this, I had to confirm that Murphy is a woman with no military experience because she is masterful at writing a first-person narrative of a man in the Navy. ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.
July 29, 2025
Strong contender for my favorite book of the year. David's (aka Dead Man) voice was one I just could not stop reading. To say I was immersed in submarine life, I actually had submarine dreams while reading this. You'll be rooting for Dead Man the whole way.
January 9, 2026
It took me a while to get on board with the sub talk. And by the time I was getting used to it, Dead Man was off the sub. Then it took me a while to get used to him being off the sub. And by the end, I was liking the book pretty much.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews