Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Hamish Hamilton (2010), 672 pages
Description
Why does Skippy, a student at Dublin's venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop? Could it have something to do with his friend Ruprecht Van Doren, who is determined to open a portal into a parallel universe using ten-dimensional string theory? Or Carl, the teenage drug dealer who is Skippy's rival in love?
Media reviews
Six hundred sixty-one pages may seem like a lot to devote to a bunch of flatulence-obsessed kids, but that daunting length is part and parcel of the cause to which “Skippy Dies,” in the end, is most devoted. Teenagers, though they may not always act like it, are human beings, and their sadness
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and loneliness (and their triumphs, no matter how temporary) are as momentous as any adult’s. And novels about them — if they’re as smart and funny and touching as “Skippy Dies” — can be just as long as they like. Show Less
Booklist
[T]his is an extremely ambitious and complex novel, filled with parallels, with sometimes recondite references to Irish folklore, with quantum physics, and with much more.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
This is just not the kind of book I'd normally pick up. For one thing, it's set in a private boys' school and so is primarily concerned with the lives of fourteen-year-old boys. It also has lots of asides about string theory and Irish soldiers in the First World War. I'm still not sure why I
Skippy is Daniel Justers, a boarder at an elite Catholic school in Dublin. He dies in the opening paragraphs, so the title's not a spoiler. The book then goes back and shows the events building to his death, following various denizens of Seabrook College. Skippy has family problems, difficulties on the swim team and a bully out to get him. He also has a good, if geeky, band of friends and, most importantly, he's fallen in love. his roommate, Ruprecht, is an obese genius with a love of his own; the complicated cosmology posited by a Stanford University professor. Howard is a history teacher worried that this is as far as he'll ever go. He did something years ago that has earned him the nickname of 'Howard the Coward'.
Fourteen is a difficult age for boys. Some have almost finished puberty and are six feet tall and hairy, others have only just begun, lagging several feet behind their contemporaries. Their interests diverge just as dramatically with some dreaming of a first kiss and others watching hardcore porn on their laptops and doing whatever drugs they can get their hands on, and then there are always the boys who would prefer to spend their time on role playing games or scientific experiments.
What makes this book so hard to put down is the honesty and empathy with which Murray approaches his characters. Even the vilest of boys is a person and the author never lets us forget it. He is excited about the boys' interests and activities and, therefore, so is the reader. This is not a cheerful book, but there is a strong vein of humor running through even the most depressing of chapters. And there is one in the middle of the book, about the undertaking of Ruprecht's big experiment that is worthy of a John Hughes movie.
We look at the history of the world in terms of the grand, over-arching themes, but to people living their lives as best they can, things seem awfully chaotic.
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decided to read it. And I could not put it down. Skippy is Daniel Justers, a boarder at an elite Catholic school in Dublin. He dies in the opening paragraphs, so the title's not a spoiler. The book then goes back and shows the events building to his death, following various denizens of Seabrook College. Skippy has family problems, difficulties on the swim team and a bully out to get him. He also has a good, if geeky, band of friends and, most importantly, he's fallen in love. his roommate, Ruprecht, is an obese genius with a love of his own; the complicated cosmology posited by a Stanford University professor. Howard is a history teacher worried that this is as far as he'll ever go. He did something years ago that has earned him the nickname of 'Howard the Coward'.
Fourteen is a difficult age for boys. Some have almost finished puberty and are six feet tall and hairy, others have only just begun, lagging several feet behind their contemporaries. Their interests diverge just as dramatically with some dreaming of a first kiss and others watching hardcore porn on their laptops and doing whatever drugs they can get their hands on, and then there are always the boys who would prefer to spend their time on role playing games or scientific experiments.
What makes this book so hard to put down is the honesty and empathy with which Murray approaches his characters. Even the vilest of boys is a person and the author never lets us forget it. He is excited about the boys' interests and activities and, therefore, so is the reader. This is not a cheerful book, but there is a strong vein of humor running through even the most depressing of chapters. And there is one in the middle of the book, about the undertaking of Ruprecht's big experiment that is worthy of a John Hughes movie.
We look at the history of the world in terms of the grand, over-arching themes, but to people living their lives as best they can, things seem awfully chaotic.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
A true tragicomedy, Skippy Dies by Paul Murray is an enjoyable and moving story that circulates in and around the Irish Private School of Seabrook College. The book opens with the death of Skippy, a fourteen year old pupil, but then spirals backward to encompass various characters. The story
I have heard that thoughts of sex run through an average male adolescent’s brain every 15 seconds, and this book attests to that fact. These kids turn just about everything into a sexual reference, even Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Less Travelled” becomes, in their minds, an ode to anal sex. This author has a way of reaching into the minds of teenage boys and really delivering a true to life picture. Although very humorous, Skippy Dies has a dark side as well as the characters’ failures and flaws are slowly exposed.
At 661 pages, Skippy Dies is a big, expansive, and brilliant read that gives us a vivid reminder of being fourteen, experiencing first love, and finding out the lie of Santa Claus is just the tip of the iceberg in a long list of life’s disappointments. And although Skippy dies, this poignant story is much more about life than death. Highly recommended.
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unfolds through the eyes of these very different personalities, each one having his own distinct point of view, but are we really learning Skippy’s truth? Be it fellow students or teachers, each has his own story and there are plenty of heartaches, pain and laughter in the days leading up to Skippy’s death. I have heard that thoughts of sex run through an average male adolescent’s brain every 15 seconds, and this book attests to that fact. These kids turn just about everything into a sexual reference, even Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Less Travelled” becomes, in their minds, an ode to anal sex. This author has a way of reaching into the minds of teenage boys and really delivering a true to life picture. Although very humorous, Skippy Dies has a dark side as well as the characters’ failures and flaws are slowly exposed.
At 661 pages, Skippy Dies is a big, expansive, and brilliant read that gives us a vivid reminder of being fourteen, experiencing first love, and finding out the lie of Santa Claus is just the tip of the iceberg in a long list of life’s disappointments. And although Skippy dies, this poignant story is much more about life than death. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lindapanzo
I rarely read chunkster fiction but this one, at 672 pages, was an exception. The book is set at a Dublin boarding school and the title obviously gives away the key point: in the first few pages, Skippy does indeed die, on the floor of the local doughnut shop hangout during a doughnut-eating
The most interesting part, I thought, addressed the aftermath, the impact of his death on both the other boys at the school and on the faculty.
The author has created a bunch of memorable characters and, if the mark of a good book is one the reader thinks about, well after the book is finished, I think this one will qualify.
Beyond the story itself, the author gets at how things/people are remembered or not remembered. There's also an "It's a Wonderful Life"-type element, showing how the loss of a seemingly ordinary person can have a huge impact on a group.
One character, Howard, the history teacher, spends a lot of time reading about and teaching World War 1. I've added the Robert Graves book he talks about often, Good-Bye to All That: An Autobiography, to my TBR list.
This book is not without its flaws. I think the author could've cut about 100 pages from the pre-death portion of the book so much so that, at times, many times in fact, I felt like putting it down and not continuing. I'm glad I stuck with it because, in the end, this is one of the most memorable novels I've read in quite some time, one I won't soon forget.
Highly recommended!!
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contest. Most of the book involves events that led up to his death.The most interesting part, I thought, addressed the aftermath, the impact of his death on both the other boys at the school and on the faculty.
The author has created a bunch of memorable characters and, if the mark of a good book is one the reader thinks about, well after the book is finished, I think this one will qualify.
Beyond the story itself, the author gets at how things/people are remembered or not remembered. There's also an "It's a Wonderful Life"-type element, showing how the loss of a seemingly ordinary person can have a huge impact on a group.
One character, Howard, the history teacher, spends a lot of time reading about and teaching World War 1. I've added the Robert Graves book he talks about often, Good-Bye to All That: An Autobiography, to my TBR list.
This book is not without its flaws. I think the author could've cut about 100 pages from the pre-death portion of the book so much so that, at times, many times in fact, I felt like putting it down and not continuing. I'm glad I stuck with it because, in the end, this is one of the most memorable novels I've read in quite some time, one I won't soon forget.
Highly recommended!!
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LibraryThing member bragan
In the opening scene of this novel, Irish boarding school student Daniel "Skippy" Juster dies on the floor of a doughnut shop. Only after that do we actually get to know Skippy, and all the people around him, as we're shown the months leading up to his death and what happens afterward. It's a
And yet, in the end it comes together in a way that's poignant and satisfying, despite -- or, really, because of -- its deliberate messiness. And hoo, boy, can Murray write. There are so many passages in here that brought me up short, thinking, That's it. That's exactly what life is like.
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complex, slightly strange book. The choice to extract the death scene and show it to us first is oddly unsettling, and shapes the reading experience in some interesting ways. The novel deals with so many subjects that are dark, depressing, or tawdry, that at some points it almost seems a little bit much, and it captures the obnoxiousness of 14-year-old boys with a faithfulness that can be downright painful. It jumps around from viewpoint to viewpoint, often slightly changing styles as it does so, and it weaves a wonderfully complicated and effective web of themes. It's pervaded by a subtle sense of humor, even though there's very little in it that you could easily point to as funny. Also, there are lectures on string theory. And yet, in the end it comes together in a way that's poignant and satisfying, despite -- or, really, because of -- its deliberate messiness. And hoo, boy, can Murray write. There are so many passages in here that brought me up short, thinking, That's it. That's exactly what life is like.
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LibraryThing member amachiski
This is not a cheerful book. The author touches on every imaginable component of adolescent life in the setting of a group of young students at a prestigious, all-male Catholic preparatory school located in contemporary Dublin. Drugs (lots), sex, alcohol, cliques, sports, video games, cell phones,
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depression, bullying, school yard fights, and even attempted time travel all play a part in this long (very long) narrative. Throughout all this there was a certain honesty and empathy with which the author shaped his characters and even the vilest of boys was portrayed as person you could feel sorry for. In telling this story, the author shifts between numerous points of view, including that of both students and teachers, to create a multi-dimensional view of a small school in all its disarray. The book is often weighed down by long narratives that I found exceedingly boring and I often skipped pages just to get through the book. I was very happy to be done with it. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Take one part Our Miss Brooks, add a dash of The History Boys, and mix it all with a dollop of postmodern drollery and you begin to approximate the experience of reading this mixed up story of modern youth in academia. Both less serious than the Enfield Tennis Academy and a lot more fun, most of
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the time (certainly more fun than Mr. Gradgrind's school in Coketown), I found this an energetic light read that was refreshing, if not quite able to attain the heights that some its hype would suggest. Perhaps I am too old to see all of the important meaning hiding beneath the irony and satire, but so be it. Give me James Hilton or R. F. Delderfield and I'm happy. Show Less
LibraryThing member EricKibler
Skippy dies on the first page. Hell, he dies in the title, so I'm not spoiling anything.
The novel takes place in the fictional Seabrook College for Boys, a Catholic middle/high school. The school's denizens include Daniel "Skippy" Juster, his roommate Ruprecht Van Doren, and a large cast of drug
Skippy, the ostensible main character, is a hapless young man awash in a soup of depression, unknown trauma, and adolescent hormones. Skippy is a bit of a cipher, and is buffeted about mercilessly by forces larger than himself. But after his passing, he comes to mean different things to the other characters. Ruprecht is a would be scientist obsessed with M-Theory. He is searching, in his tinfoil hatted, shambolic way, for a way to break through the barriers into other dimensions. Carl is an unstable thug with a drug habit; he's a loaded gun waiting to go off. Howard is the school's history teacher, who has never quite grown up, and who desperately needs a catalyst to find his better self. Lori is a student at neighboring St. Brigid's, hovering between the dangerous Carl and the more wholesome Skippy. All of these characters are lost, and it is how their arcs connect that make this book what it is: a glorious exploration of youth, age, existential despair, and the way in which we tentatively carve out a meaning for our lives in an absurd universe.
I find Murray to be a more focused disciple of Thomas Pynchon in the way he brings together sophomoric hijinks, occasional stream-of-consciousness passages, and arcane detours into science, history, and mysticism. Unlike in Pynchon's books, Murray's story reveals itself to be surprisingly linear. Plot threads are ultimately resolved in ways that will satisfy old-school novel readers, even though Murray borrows techniques from Pynchon and Joyce.
The last pages are especially thrilling, as the various characters' stories come together. This is the best book I've read in 2012 so far (May 20). Highly recommended.
The novel takes place in the fictional Seabrook College for Boys, a Catholic middle/high school. The school's denizens include Daniel "Skippy" Juster, his roommate Ruprecht Van Doren, and a large cast of drug
Show More
abusers, fart lighters, dweebs, school bullies, victims, priests, and burned out teachers. Skippy, the ostensible main character, is a hapless young man awash in a soup of depression, unknown trauma, and adolescent hormones. Skippy is a bit of a cipher, and is buffeted about mercilessly by forces larger than himself. But after his passing, he comes to mean different things to the other characters. Ruprecht is a would be scientist obsessed with M-Theory. He is searching, in his tinfoil hatted, shambolic way, for a way to break through the barriers into other dimensions. Carl is an unstable thug with a drug habit; he's a loaded gun waiting to go off. Howard is the school's history teacher, who has never quite grown up, and who desperately needs a catalyst to find his better self. Lori is a student at neighboring St. Brigid's, hovering between the dangerous Carl and the more wholesome Skippy. All of these characters are lost, and it is how their arcs connect that make this book what it is: a glorious exploration of youth, age, existential despair, and the way in which we tentatively carve out a meaning for our lives in an absurd universe.
I find Murray to be a more focused disciple of Thomas Pynchon in the way he brings together sophomoric hijinks, occasional stream-of-consciousness passages, and arcane detours into science, history, and mysticism. Unlike in Pynchon's books, Murray's story reveals itself to be surprisingly linear. Plot threads are ultimately resolved in ways that will satisfy old-school novel readers, even though Murray borrows techniques from Pynchon and Joyce.
The last pages are especially thrilling, as the various characters' stories come together. This is the best book I've read in 2012 so far (May 20). Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Absolute drivel! I suppose some people might find this book amusing, but probably not many whom I might ever want to talk to!
That's eight quid I'll never get back!
That's eight quid I'll never get back!
LibraryThing member amydross
I am going to give this four stars, but it's a grudging four stars... There's no question to me that in many particulars, this book was much better than many I've read recently. The characters and setting were perfectly rendered, the language is often beautiful, but also pitch-perfect for each
Nevertheless, there's a lot that I'm ambivalent about here. It's a very ambitious novel in a lot of ways -- maybe too ambitious. The author is deft at handling his dozens of characters, writing from their POV, and making (almost) all of them believable, distinct, and likeable. But it's clear that he wants this book to be about much more than the growing pains of a group of boarding school boys and their teachers -- he wants it to be about History, about Ireland, about War, about Cultural Guilt, and Generational Betrayal. And at the center of it all, he wants it to be about the horror all reasonable people felt at the pedophile priest scandal of the past few years.
I think it's too much. The ideas are too big, the morality writ too large. And I mean, the author has clearly *tried* to make the moral issues subtle and ambiguous, but the problem is, you can tell he doesn't believe it. He does do one neat reversal where *OKAY SPOILER FERREAL HERE* it turns out it is *not* the old priest whom every suspects who committed the molestation, but actually the swim coach who isn't a priest at all. And furthermore, it turns out that the priest actually *does* have urges to molest the kids, and is racked by desire and guilt over it all, but never actually does anything, and winds up being fairly admirable, for all that. *END SPOILER* So. I do give credit to the author for not giving us the completely obvious story, and trying to complicate it a bit.
But it's not enough. Because ultimately, the story is still about how institutions (like the catholic church, very specifically) cover up terrible things in order to protect their own hides. And while I TOTALLY AGREE that that is a horrible, despicable fact of life, it does not make very interesting literature. Because everyone who participates in this cover-up immediately becomes so inexcusably terrible that it's very hard to care about them anymore, or what they do. And that's not to say it's unrealistic -- it's just not interesting.
And to make matters worse, a couple of the characters in the book are really just parodies of human beings. The principal of the school is, from the beginning, presented as laughable caricature of an idiotic, anti-intellectual, utterly self-serving, small-minded administrator. And in the first part of the book, that works well, because everything is lighthearted and he makes a good comic foil to the other characters. But once things get serious, he starts to seem cheap and easy -- he's the mastermind behind the coverup, but who cares? The author saves himself from seriously considering why real people do terrible things by making this guy a joke.
And the other people who go along with it... Even though I know real people do such things, the motivations in this particular situation just aren't clear. So it feels less like real decisions being made by believable people, and more like the author has a point to make about shared guilt, and how pretending things never happened just makes them come back at you ten times worse. Which is more convenient than convincing. So the whole last third of the book is a bit hard to read because everyone is just so damned irredeemable, that I was like, why do I even care about these people anymore?
And getting back to the ambition thing... The Big Ideas are maybe not such a good idea. Basically there are a lot of characters who have seemingly irrelevant interests that we learn a great deal about -- and eventually, they DO all become relevant, and they DO all tie in together in a very neat and elegant way -- and I appreciate the incredible amount of work it must have taken to pull that off. However, in the meanwhile, we get characters giving long disquisitions on string theory, on Ireland's role in WWI, on the mythology of ancient Ireland, on the various levels of a particular video game.
And don't get me wrong, all these things are interesting. They're well-written and interesting and not a complete and total drag to read... but they really do slow down the narrative a lot, and sometimes I felt like I was watching a nova special rather than reading a novel. And I'm not convinced the payoff at the end was worth it all. In the worst case, a teacher was introduced and then utterly abandoned after showing up for one chapter to ramble about fairies. Of course I knew the fairies were going to be important, but it was a clunky bit of info-dumping in an otherwise very accomplished novel. I think the author could have gotten away with a lot less.
And lastly, well, this is really more of a nitpick, but like 90% of the book is told in rotating third person POV, but occasionally, right in the middle of a 3rd person POV, the narration will switch to second for a while, then switch back. And while I am totally all for interesting formal experiments, I just didn't see how this added to the story. The best I can say about it is that it wasn't as distracting as I would have thought it would be, which is a testament to the author's skill. But was it necessary at all? I'm unconvinced.
So yeah, I feel bad dumping all these criticisms out into the world, because there was really a lot that excited and moved me about this book. But maybe that's why the betrayal of the last section hit me all the harder. I felt like the author promised me a really amazing, possibly life-changing book, and then ultimately it was only a very good but deeply flawed book.
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character. And for most of its 660 pages, the story/stories are both entertaining (in terms of anecdotal hi-jinks) and emotionally compelling.Nevertheless, there's a lot that I'm ambivalent about here. It's a very ambitious novel in a lot of ways -- maybe too ambitious. The author is deft at handling his dozens of characters, writing from their POV, and making (almost) all of them believable, distinct, and likeable. But it's clear that he wants this book to be about much more than the growing pains of a group of boarding school boys and their teachers -- he wants it to be about History, about Ireland, about War, about Cultural Guilt, and Generational Betrayal. And at the center of it all, he wants it to be about the horror all reasonable people felt at the pedophile priest scandal of the past few years.
I think it's too much. The ideas are too big, the morality writ too large. And I mean, the author has clearly *tried* to make the moral issues subtle and ambiguous, but the problem is, you can tell he doesn't believe it. He does do one neat reversal where *OKAY SPOILER FERREAL HERE* it turns out it is *not* the old priest whom every suspects who committed the molestation, but actually the swim coach who isn't a priest at all. And furthermore, it turns out that the priest actually *does* have urges to molest the kids, and is racked by desire and guilt over it all, but never actually does anything, and winds up being fairly admirable, for all that. *END SPOILER* So. I do give credit to the author for not giving us the completely obvious story, and trying to complicate it a bit.
But it's not enough. Because ultimately, the story is still about how institutions (like the catholic church, very specifically) cover up terrible things in order to protect their own hides. And while I TOTALLY AGREE that that is a horrible, despicable fact of life, it does not make very interesting literature. Because everyone who participates in this cover-up immediately becomes so inexcusably terrible that it's very hard to care about them anymore, or what they do. And that's not to say it's unrealistic -- it's just not interesting.
And to make matters worse, a couple of the characters in the book are really just parodies of human beings. The principal of the school is, from the beginning, presented as laughable caricature of an idiotic, anti-intellectual, utterly self-serving, small-minded administrator. And in the first part of the book, that works well, because everything is lighthearted and he makes a good comic foil to the other characters. But once things get serious, he starts to seem cheap and easy -- he's the mastermind behind the coverup, but who cares? The author saves himself from seriously considering why real people do terrible things by making this guy a joke.
And the other people who go along with it... Even though I know real people do such things, the motivations in this particular situation just aren't clear. So it feels less like real decisions being made by believable people, and more like the author has a point to make about shared guilt, and how pretending things never happened just makes them come back at you ten times worse. Which is more convenient than convincing. So the whole last third of the book is a bit hard to read because everyone is just so damned irredeemable, that I was like, why do I even care about these people anymore?
And getting back to the ambition thing... The Big Ideas are maybe not such a good idea. Basically there are a lot of characters who have seemingly irrelevant interests that we learn a great deal about -- and eventually, they DO all become relevant, and they DO all tie in together in a very neat and elegant way -- and I appreciate the incredible amount of work it must have taken to pull that off. However, in the meanwhile, we get characters giving long disquisitions on string theory, on Ireland's role in WWI, on the mythology of ancient Ireland, on the various levels of a particular video game.
And don't get me wrong, all these things are interesting. They're well-written and interesting and not a complete and total drag to read... but they really do slow down the narrative a lot, and sometimes I felt like I was watching a nova special rather than reading a novel. And I'm not convinced the payoff at the end was worth it all. In the worst case, a teacher was introduced and then utterly abandoned after showing up for one chapter to ramble about fairies. Of course I knew the fairies were going to be important, but it was a clunky bit of info-dumping in an otherwise very accomplished novel. I think the author could have gotten away with a lot less.
And lastly, well, this is really more of a nitpick, but like 90% of the book is told in rotating third person POV, but occasionally, right in the middle of a 3rd person POV, the narration will switch to second for a while, then switch back. And while I am totally all for interesting formal experiments, I just didn't see how this added to the story. The best I can say about it is that it wasn't as distracting as I would have thought it would be, which is a testament to the author's skill. But was it necessary at all? I'm unconvinced.
So yeah, I feel bad dumping all these criticisms out into the world, because there was really a lot that excited and moved me about this book. But maybe that's why the betrayal of the last section hit me all the harder. I felt like the author promised me a really amazing, possibly life-changing book, and then ultimately it was only a very good but deeply flawed book.
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LibraryThing member eenerd
Dense and fantastic read concerning the tangle of relationships in and around Dublin's prestigious Seabrook College. From a nerd-genius studying M-theory, to a rich ruffian-cum-drug dealer, to a washed up bond-trader turned history teacher, to a reformed pedophile priest fighting his horrific
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tendencies, this book has everything. It covers about every kind of relationship people have with one another, from the very best to the very worst, and everything in between. This book is foremost a study in humanity, from the microcosm of a private boys school (and the girls school next door) in Ireland. Rich, complex, laugh out loud funny, tragic, and most of all completely engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member suetu
A 672-page novel is an investment, but Skippy Dies by Paul Murray gets so much right that I hardly know where to begin. Okay, I’m going to begin at the beginning…
The novel opens with the death of the eponymous Daniel “Skippy” Juster as the 14-year-old collapses in a donut shop. From there,
Now, a book about the death of a young boy sounds like a bummer—and Skippy’s death is far from the only tragedy depicted—but as in life, the tragedy is balanced with high comedy. The novel is set at Seabrook College, an upscale private preparatory school in Ireland. This, the institution’s 140th year, is a time of transition. The Catholic priests who have been in control for more than a century are beginning to take a back-seat to secular influences. (Yes, contemporary scandals in the Catholic Church are touched on within the plot, which may be objectionable to some readers, but it’s not the focus of the story.)
While Skippy is certainly a central character, the novel is an ensemble piece. We meet Skippy’s school pals, the older boys that bully them, the teachers and priests that teach them, the girls from the neighboring school, a smattering of parents and significant others. There’s a plot. Many of them, in fact; it’s an expansive novel and much happens along the way. But this story is character-driven, and that’s where Murray excels. His characters are so, so delicious! Ruprecht, the idiosyncratic genius; Mario, the teenage lothario; Howard “The Coward” Fallon, a teacher searching for himself; and an acting principal you’ll love to hate. He perfectly captures the sweet innocence of young boys, right along with their monstrous side. Every word, every action rings true. In Murray’s novel, protagonists disappoint. Good things do not always happen to good people. But through it all, there is still so much to laugh about.
I could not be less interest in Irish school boys, but Paul Murray has written a universal tale that simply shines. The writing is fantastic, and just gets better and better as the novel unfolds. I loved it from start to finish. Don’t let the length deter you from one of this year’s finest reads.
The novel opens with the death of the eponymous Daniel “Skippy” Juster as the 14-year-old collapses in a donut shop. From there,
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we are taken back in time to the myriad events that lead up to that moment. And we spend the next 450 pages falling in love with Skippy, hoping for a different outcome. The following 200 pages are the aftermath, and are arguably the most compelling of a very compelling tale.Now, a book about the death of a young boy sounds like a bummer—and Skippy’s death is far from the only tragedy depicted—but as in life, the tragedy is balanced with high comedy. The novel is set at Seabrook College, an upscale private preparatory school in Ireland. This, the institution’s 140th year, is a time of transition. The Catholic priests who have been in control for more than a century are beginning to take a back-seat to secular influences. (Yes, contemporary scandals in the Catholic Church are touched on within the plot, which may be objectionable to some readers, but it’s not the focus of the story.)
While Skippy is certainly a central character, the novel is an ensemble piece. We meet Skippy’s school pals, the older boys that bully them, the teachers and priests that teach them, the girls from the neighboring school, a smattering of parents and significant others. There’s a plot. Many of them, in fact; it’s an expansive novel and much happens along the way. But this story is character-driven, and that’s where Murray excels. His characters are so, so delicious! Ruprecht, the idiosyncratic genius; Mario, the teenage lothario; Howard “The Coward” Fallon, a teacher searching for himself; and an acting principal you’ll love to hate. He perfectly captures the sweet innocence of young boys, right along with their monstrous side. Every word, every action rings true. In Murray’s novel, protagonists disappoint. Good things do not always happen to good people. But through it all, there is still so much to laugh about.
I could not be less interest in Irish school boys, but Paul Murray has written a universal tale that simply shines. The writing is fantastic, and just gets better and better as the novel unfolds. I loved it from start to finish. Don’t let the length deter you from one of this year’s finest reads.
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LibraryThing member dalla
This should have been 3 separate books (not 3 books split chronologically) as too many ideas are explored at once BUT each is valid and well tackled. I liked the thread about towing the line for personal advancement at work.
LibraryThing member jenniferthomp75
One of the best novels for adults that I've read in years, and I'm not just saying that because it's about teens!
Skippy is a 14 year old kid who's moving through life on painkillers. He's hiding some secrets that are painful and isn't sure how to deal with them. His good friends are a funny lot -
The book takes place at an Irish Catholic boarding school for boys. Not only do you get to know the boys at the school, but also the teachers, some of whom are suffering from their own existential crises.
Wonderfully written with a dark sense of humor, I recommend this book to anyone who loves excellent writing, well-developed characters and angst.
Skippy is a 14 year old kid who's moving through life on painkillers. He's hiding some secrets that are painful and isn't sure how to deal with them. His good friends are a funny lot -
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Ruprecht, his roommate, is an overweight boy obsessed with science. Mario is a sex fiend who wouldn't know what to do with a real girl if faced with it. And Dennis is so wrapped up in his own sarcasm that it's difficult for him to show true emotion.The book takes place at an Irish Catholic boarding school for boys. Not only do you get to know the boys at the school, but also the teachers, some of whom are suffering from their own existential crises.
Wonderfully written with a dark sense of humor, I recommend this book to anyone who loves excellent writing, well-developed characters and angst.
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LibraryThing member Scratch
A well-crafted novel set in a BOYS school in Dublin. It's especially enjoyable if you like reading about the antics of teenage BOYS. However, teenage BOYS are too often predictable, and so are these BOYS. l lost interest in the book after about 400 of the ~600 pages, because I had tired of the
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BOYS' fart jokes and sex jokes and "gay"-used-as-all-purpose-negative-adjective jokes. If you know a teenage BOY, he might like to give the book a try, but what about the rest of us? Show Less
LibraryThing member Knicke
Enjoyed this quite a lot. For some reason it reminds me of Zadie Smith's White Teeth, probably because of the multiple perspectives/narratives and the long shared histories of many of the characters. The ending skirted close to being overdone and I'm annoyed that Father Green gets killed - that
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seem both too tidy and purposefully unsatisfying - but it's as right as it probably could be considering. Interactions among the students were by far the best part. Show Less
LibraryThing member SwampIrish
Very few authors remember what it is like to be a teenager. I think Paul Murray does. This humorous and biting novel serves as a social commentary on the shortcomings of western education. All the pitfalls of teenage life are present but written in with an honesty that escapes most contemporary
I saw someone compare Skippy Dies to Catcher in the Rye, but I feel that comparison falls short. Skippy Dies has many more layers and the characters do not come off as narcissistic as Holden Caufield. They just seem more substantial and real. Maybe this is because I, as a Gen Xer, am generationally closer to Skippy.
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writers. I saw someone compare Skippy Dies to Catcher in the Rye, but I feel that comparison falls short. Skippy Dies has many more layers and the characters do not come off as narcissistic as Holden Caufield. They just seem more substantial and real. Maybe this is because I, as a Gen Xer, am generationally closer to Skippy.
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LibraryThing member hazelk
I thought at first that I'd never get into this novel but gradually it drew me in.
Although some have commented on the humour - the boys' banter for example - it was other aspects of the book that got me hooked, the satirical elements, hypocrisy, the damage, witting and unwitting, that parents (let
My eyes glazed over at Ruprecht's experiments but on the whole this lengthy novel held my attention. Some good writing indeed.
Although some have commented on the humour - the boys' banter for example - it was other aspects of the book that got me hooked, the satirical elements, hypocrisy, the damage, witting and unwitting, that parents (let
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alone teachers) can inflict. My eyes glazed over at Ruprecht's experiments but on the whole this lengthy novel held my attention. Some good writing indeed.
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LibraryThing member martymojito
I agree with libsue. I didn't find it that funny at all, and I found the whole juvenile nature of the dialogue very boring after a while. I invested over 150 pages and then ran out of steam and couldn't finish it. Quite obviously about Blackrock College in Dublin. I can't understand how the Irish
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Times reckoned that it was a dead cert to be on the Booker shortlist. I couldn't see the quality in it at all. I left it behind in Greece on holidays , I hope somebody else picked it up and enjoyed it more than I did. I usually want to keep books in case I might read them in the future again, but I didn't even want to keep it. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookmagic
KIPPY DIES by Paul Murray
You wouldn't think a book that gives away the ending with it's title would be so great, but it was. Skippy Dies is an excellent read. Another large tome at 672 pages, but it flies by.
Skippy is a young teenager in boarding school in Dublin and this three part book follows
my rating 5/5
You wouldn't think a book that gives away the ending with it's title would be so great, but it was. Skippy Dies is an excellent read. Another large tome at 672 pages, but it flies by.
Skippy is a young teenager in boarding school in Dublin and this three part book follows
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the trials and tribulations of him and his friends and the aftermath of Skippy's death. Despite its dark title, there are some very funny moments. Not everything is what it seems and I was riveted to this tragic but humorous book.my rating 5/5
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LibraryThing member kishields
This book took me a while to get into, but I loved the second half in particular. Many great spots, some long slogs. A very large, ambitious novel. Shows a great understanding (sadly) of the problems children face in the modern world—how much the adults hurt them and they hurt each other! Plenty
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of drugs, sex, violence and massive confusion among both the children and the adults. Some parts were very funny, some quite lyrical. Show Less
LibraryThing member jeffsdfw
This book made the shortlist??? This book was a beating to finish. Not funny at all, and simply stupid.
LibraryThing member eejjennings
Although I slogged through the first half of this book and considered quitting several times, I flew through the second half of Skippy Dies, Paul Murray's second novel. Set in a Dublin Catholic boarding school for boys, we know from the title that Skippy dies. What we learn from the book is just
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how this death affected his friends, his enemies, and the school community at large. Murray brilliantly captures the inner life of boarding school boys (sex and girls play a large part) and each quirky character came to life for me. As the school's administration tries to get on with life as normal after Skippy's death, the author shows how the event forces the adults in the book to come to terms with long-simmering issues of their own and his classmates to grow up. There is so much going on in this book, I wasn't sure how the author would tie up all the loose ends, but he does so in a stunning and brilliant conclusion. Stick with this one and you won't be sorry. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexann
Here is a book that needed a scorecard. It was very difficult even to keep the characters straight, which also made it hard to appreciate the novel. If I'd had a listing of characters to serve as a reference, no doubt the experience would have been enhanced, and my enjoyment level raised hugely!
As it was, Skippy Dies was a struggle for me. My biggest problem was with the Howard chapters--he was so whiny and boring! Although there were some verbal gems in Murray's prose even in these chapters, had I been editor, there would have been far less from Howard's point of view!
Of course, some of the writing was stunning--oh, my, but Murray does know his way around the English language!
There are rumors that Skippy Dies may be made into a movie--I'll be there! Without Murray's forays into Irish folklore and many other unrelated subjects, there is a stunning story here. I can't wait to see how the director will portray the Halloween Hop!
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Specific confusions--it didn't sink until maybe 3/4 through the book that Skippy wasn't the fat one! The boys, the teachers--which was which? An outline would have been helpful.As it was, Skippy Dies was a struggle for me. My biggest problem was with the Howard chapters--he was so whiny and boring! Although there were some verbal gems in Murray's prose even in these chapters, had I been editor, there would have been far less from Howard's point of view!
Of course, some of the writing was stunning--oh, my, but Murray does know his way around the English language!
There are rumors that Skippy Dies may be made into a movie--I'll be there! Without Murray's forays into Irish folklore and many other unrelated subjects, there is a stunning story here. I can't wait to see how the director will portray the Halloween Hop!
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LibraryThing member ben_h
Skippy does, in fact, die--in the first few pages. The book then dives into the backstory, gleefully lampooning snobs, posers and hypocrites while telling a genuinely moving story of what it means to grow up. This is dry, dark humor; I loved it.
LibraryThing member bonnieconnelly
too long, couldn't stick with it. More depressing than funny.
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2010)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2012)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Novel — 2010)
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2010)
The Morning News Tournament of Books (Short List — 2011)
Independent Booksellers' Book Prize (Shortlist — 2011)
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction (Shortlist — 2010)
Believer Book Award (Shortlist — 2010)
Beste Boek voor Jongeren (2012)
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing (Shortlist — Fiction — 2012)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2010)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction — 2010)
Village Voice Favorite Books (2010)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2011)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
672 p.; 5.31 inches
ISBN
0126