Skippy Dies by Paul Murray - Literary Fiction - Paperback Edition, Man Booker Longlisted

Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141009957
Publisher: Penguin
Age Range: Adult / 16+

Overview:
Skippy 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.

About the Book:
The 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.

Key Benefits:

• A genre-defying tragicomedy that balances dark humour with real emotional depth.
• Vivid, richly drawn characters that linger long after the final page.
• Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, a mark of serious literary craft.
• Ideal for book clubs and fans of intelligent, character-led contemporary fiction.
• A fresh, brand-new paperback copy ready to read straight away.

About the Author:
Paul 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.

Why You'll Love This Book:
Funny, 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.

Please Note: Cover art may vary slightly from the image shown; this is the current UK paperback edition with UK ISBN 9780141009957.