On the HahaFiction shelf
The Van
by Roddy Doyle
The Barrytown Trilogy · Book 3
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.
From the publisher’s blurb
“The Van is a tender and hilarious tale of male friendship and family life.”Read the full description at Penguin Books publisher description
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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.
More funny workplace comedy
Sources & further reading
- Trade review
Review
- Book excerpt
Reading sample
- Publisher series order
Publisher
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Publisher
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