# The Van

By Roddy Doyle · The Barrytown Trilogy, book 3

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-van-782c431d/

Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. has lost his job and the daily company that came with it. When his best friend Bimbo also becomes unemployed, an old fish-and-chip van gives them a plan. They start selling food as Dublin cheers Ireland through the 1990 World Cup, bringing money and working relationships into a friendship.

## What makes it funny?

The excerpt finds Jimmy so bored that he has nearly mowed away his lawn. Inside, his son keeps restarting an English essay because the teacher's rules make even the opening sentence a hazard. Doyle gives each family member a private frustration.

### The comedy at work

Dublin speech and the family's running thoughts make small embarrassments vivid. At work, the same closeness becomes awkward when Bimbo starts acting like a boss. Jimmy wanted a companion; the van gives him a job with obligations.

### Try this if…

For readers who like comic working-class fiction with affection for the people caught in it. Friendship and family matter as much as the misadventures at the fryer.

### Good to know

This is the third Barrytown novel, centered on Jimmy and Bimbo's food business. Expect strong swearing, unemployment and a friendship under strain, with misogyny among the subjects the book addresses.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Workplace comedy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Trade review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/roddy-doyle/the-van)
- Reading sample: [Book excerpt](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/an-extract-from-the-van-by-roddy-doyle)
- Publisher: [Publisher series order](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/DKZ/the-barrytown-trilogy)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323337/the-van-by-roddy-doyle)