{"title":"Paul Murray","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"paul-murray-2-book-set-the-bee-sting-skippy-dies-paperback-fiction","title":"Paul Murray Collection 2 Books Set - The Bee Sting \u0026 Skippy Dies - Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Bee Sting\u003cbr\u003e\nSkippy Dies\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: New\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\nPublisher: Hamish Hamilton (The Bee Sting); Penguin (Skippy Dies)\u003cbr\u003e\nAge Range: Adult\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Paul Murray Collection brings together two of Ireland's most celebrated contemporary novels in one brand-new paperback set. The Bee Sting, a 2023 Booker Prize shortlisted family drama, and Skippy Dies, a Costa Award shortlisted coming-of-age tragicomedy, showcase Murray's trademark blend of sharp wit, deep compassion and unflinching honesty. Ideal for fans of literary fiction, book clubs and readers who love darkly funny, emotionally rich Irish storytelling, this set offers hundreds of pages of unforgettable characters and razor-sharp prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Bee Sting follows the Barnes family as their once-thriving car business collapses and their carefully constructed lives begin to unravel. Dickie retreats into building a doomsday bunker with an eccentric handyman, his wife Imelda starts selling heirloom jewellery online, teenage daughter Cass drifts into reckless behaviour before her exams, and twelve-year-old PJ quietly plots his escape. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel builds towards a tense, ambiguous climax, and was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize for its extraordinary emotional depth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSkippy Dies is set at Seabrook College, an all-boys school in Dublin, where genius roommate Ruprecht Van Doren and quiet, sweet-natured Daniel \"Skippy\" Juster navigate adolescence largely unnoticed — until Skippy falls for Lori, a girl from the school next door. What follows is a sprawling, multi-voiced tragicomedy touching on first love, bullying, and grief, with unforgettable characters including the dealer Carl. Both novels demonstrate why Murray is regarded as one of the finest chroniclers of modern Irish life, balancing tragedy and farce with rare skill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo acclaimed, award-shortlisted novels by Paul Murray in one paperback set\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrand new condition, ready to read or gift straight away\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePerfect for book clubs — both novels spark rich discussion on family, youth and modern Ireland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA versatile gift for birthdays, holidays or any literary fiction lover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShowcases Murray's signature blend of dark comedy and emotional depth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat value way to own two of the most talked-about Irish novels of the last two decades\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nPaul Murray is an award-winning Irish novelist born in Dublin. He is the author of An Evening of Long Goodbyes, Skippy Dies, The Mark and the Void, and The Bee Sting. His novels have been shortlisted for major prizes including the Booker Prize, the Costa Book Award and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. Known for combining sharp comic timing with genuine emotional insight, Murray is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Irish fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nTwo of the most acclaimed Irish novels of recent years, together in one brand-new paperback set — perfect for readers who want dark comedy, big-hearted characters and unforgettable family and school-life drama in equal measure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: cover may vary slightly from image shown; UK edition, brand new paperback set as described.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul Murray","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56482398994814,"sku":"PLD15847","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/paul-murray-the-bee-sting-skippy-dies-paperback-set-cover.jpg?v=1784398175"},{"product_id":"skippy-dies-paul-murray-fiction-paperback","title":"Skippy Dies by Paul Murray - Literary Fiction - Paperback Edition, Man Booker Longlisted","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e BRAND NEW\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780141009957\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Penguin\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAge Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Adult \/ 16+\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSkippy Dies is Paul Murray's acclaimed tragicomic novel set within the walls of Seabrook College, a Dublin boarding school. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this brand-new paperback follows a cast of misfit teenagers as they navigate first love, cruelty, ambition and grief. Blending laugh-out-loud comedy with genuine heartbreak, it is a modern classic of Irish literary fiction, perfect for readers who love character-driven, thought-provoking storytelling with real emotional weight and staying power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe novel opens with the sudden death of fourteen-year-old Daniel \"Skippy\" Juster during a doughnut-eating contest, and then rewinds to unravel the tangled events that led there. At the centre of the story is Skippy's friendship with his roommate Ruprecht Van Doren, an overweight science prodigy obsessed with string theory, parallel universes and the possibility of contacting extraterrestrial life. Around them swirls a vivid ensemble of teachers, priests, drug dealers and girls from the neighbouring school, most notably Lori, the object of Skippy's tentative, doomed affection. Paul Murray moves fluidly between comic set pieces and darker undercurrents of bullying, addiction, institutional failure and adolescent despair, capturing the chaos of teenage life with both hilarity and tenderness. The Dublin boarding-school setting gives the novel a sharply observed social texture, satirising staff pretensions and pupil cruelty while never losing sympathy for its characters. The narrative widens to take in the adults around the boys, becoming a wider meditation on failure, longing and the gap between how we imagine our lives and how they actually turn out. It is riotously funny and deeply moving, and its ambition is part of why it was longlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA genre-defying tragicomedy that balances dark humour with real emotional depth.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVivid, richly drawn characters that linger long after the final page.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLonglisted for the Man Booker Prize, a mark of serious literary craft.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdeal for book clubs and fans of intelligent, character-led contemporary fiction.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA fresh, brand-new paperback copy ready to read straight away.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nPaul Murray was born in Dublin in 1975. He is the author of An Evening of Long Goodbyes, shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, followed by Skippy Dies, The Mark and the Void, and his Booker-shortlisted novel The Bee Sting. Known for his sharp wit and generous, humane storytelling, Murray writes with a keen eye for the absurdities of modern life alongside genuine compassion for his characters, earning him a reputation as one of contemporary Irish fiction's most distinctive voices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFunny, sad and utterly absorbing, Skippy Dies rewards readers with unforgettable characters and a story that shifts effortlessly between comedy and tragedy, making it a rich, satisfying read for anyone who loves clever, character-driven fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: Cover art may vary slightly from the image shown; this is the current UK paperback edition with UK ISBN 9780141009957.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Paul Murray","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57235172360574,"sku":"SNG4802","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/skippy-dies-paul-murray-fiction-paperback.jpg?v=1784438791"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.letsbuybooks.com\/collections\/paul-murray.oembed","provider":"Lets Buy Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}