The Van [Hardcover]

Roddy Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1992

Jimmy Rabbitte Senior pulls himself out of a mid-life crisis when he purchases a greasy fish-and-chip van and sells grub to Dublin's drunk and hungry during the heady days of Ireland's triumphs in the World Cup.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The final novel of a trilogy about the working-class Rabbitte family of Dublin (following The Commitments and The Snapper ), shortlisted for last year's Booker Prize, demonstrates a brash originality and humor that are both uniquely Irish and shrewdly universal. Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. is without a job or a raison d'etre. Then his pal Bimbo gets sacked from his bakery job and the two use Bimbo's unemployment money to buy a ramshackle fish-and-chips van. In hilarious scenes that recall the hot-dog-wagon disaster in John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces , Jimmy and Bimbo prove as determined as they are inept at making a go of their business (the vivid descriptions of unhygienically fried chips and grilled sausages could keep readers away from street food for quite a long time). In Jimmy, a likable fellow who tries to do right by his colorful and uncontrollable brood, Doyle has created an authentic hero of modern-day Ireland. That the author, a 33-year-old Dubliner, is also a vastly successful playwright will astonish no one who has read his superb dialogue. Tremendous good fun, devoid of pretension, this novel invites comparison with the best of 20th-century Irish literature. Readers who missed The Snapper first time around can find it in a forthcoming Penguin paperback.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A beaten-up van dispensing fish and chips, not some clearing in the deep woods, is the setting for Doyle's warm, humorous, and cleareyed look at male friendship--in this his third book featuring the irrepressible Rabbitte family of Dublin (The Commitments, 1989; The Snapper, see above). When Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr., loses his job, he tries to make the best of it, but what he misses most are his evenings in the local pub with his friends (``it wasn't the pints Jimmy, Sr., loved...it was the lads here, the laughing. This was what he loved''). He joins the library, develops a taste for Dickens, and takes care of granddaughter Gina; but when his best friend Bimbo is ``made redundant,'' he's delighted because now, ``only with the two of them, they could do plenty of things.'' And when Bimbo decides to buy a rusting old chipper van, Jimmy accepts his offer to join him in the venture. After much effort, the van is cleaned up, recipes are tested, and the two men are set to sell fish, chips, and burgers to football crowds and pub-goers. Despite any certification from the Health Department, they are a great success, but then the football season ends, business falters, and Jimmy, Sr., misses the fun of the old days--``He'd been starting to think that Bimbo had lost his sense of humor from hanging over the deep-fat fryer too long.'' Meanwhile, Bimbo, egged on by entrepreneurial wife Maggie, becomes bossy and assertive. An encounter with officialdom provokes a crisis in their already fraying friendship, and Bimbo drives the van into the sea; but Jimmy, not so sure the friendship can be restored, returns wet and exhausted to wife Veronica: ``Give us a hug, Veronica, will yeh...I need a hug.'' As usual, Doyle has got it all just right--this is what friendships and families are really like: stubborn, contrary, loving, and, aware of life's absurdities, always ready to be cheered by a good laugh. Vintage Doyle. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First edition first printing. edition (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670845876
• ISBN-13: 978-0670845873
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,155,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roddy Doyle is the author of eight novels, a collection of stories, and Rory & Ita, a memoir of his parents. He won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. He lives and works in Dublin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arguably The Most Humorous, May 11, 2001

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Van (Mass Market Paperback)

I had seen the screen versions of Roddy Doyle's, "The Commitments" and "The Snapper", prior to reading his written work. As I have now experienced his work in both mediums, its as funny on the page as it is on the screen. "The Van" is the last in this trilogy and it definitely focuses on the older of the generations. The movies actually enhanced the book as the actors were spectacular and the memories of their performances kept returning to mind.

The book is almost pure dialogue, and the humor will certainly leave you in pain. The issue of colorful language has been mentioned and while there is no denying its prevalence I don't believe there was any increase in this particular book. When his work is read every word is as clear as the reader's vocabulary, when on screen the accents often rendered dialogue difficult to decipher. The cadence of his writing is so well done, that even when spoken the humor works with a word or two missing, the structure implies the emotion.

Mr. Doyle also wrote, "The Woman Who Walked Into Doors", and this was the previous work of his that I had read. As a writer he has remarkable range as the previous work was dark and violent, and the humor too was black as pitch. It was not just sad it was unsettling. His ability to portray the Human Condition whether bleak or bright, or even with humor when it is all that keeps a character going, in simply brilliant.

If you have not read this man's work or seen the movies I would recommend both formats. His material is great regardless of the medium.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't stop laughing........., December 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Van (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a wonderfully engaging read, I couldn't put it down. The language and the characters were very realistic, in fact they were people I felt I knew from my own childhood. If the language offends you then may I suggest you are privileged. Unfotunately, this is a side of life that too many of us know too well. If you can stand the swearing and you enjoy Roddy Doyle then this one should not be missed. It will make you laugh out loud.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, September 9, 2005

By 

Seamus (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Van (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book. As an first generation Irish American I could relate to the characters who seemed like my relatives in Ireland. The humor is great and the imagery very real.