The Snapper (novel)

The Snapper (1990) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle and the second novel in The Barrytown Trilogy.[1]

This article is about the novel. For the 1993 film made from this novel, see The Snapper (film).

The Snapper
First edition
AuthorRoddy Doyle
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Barrytown Trilogy
GenreFiction, Comedy
PublisherSecker & Warburg
Publication date
1990
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages160
ISBN0-436-20004-X
Preceded byThe Commitments 
Followed byThe Van 

The plot revolves around unmarried Sharon Rabbitte's pregnancy, and the unexpected effects this has on her conservative, working-class Dublin family. When twenty-year-old Sharon informs her father, Jimmy Sr., and mother, Veronica, about her pregnancy, they aren't thrilled but do not display histrionics. Though they ask about the father's identity, Sharon does not tell them. Jimmy Sr. then invites Sharon out to the local pub for a drink.

Sharon's friends are as interested as her family in the father's identity, but she refuses to tell them. Instead, his identity becomes common knowledge when George Burgess, the father of Sharon's friend, Yvonne, leaves his wife and claims to feel torn between her and Sharon: George is the father, the pair have had a sexual encounter while drunk.[1][2] Sharon briefly questions if the encounter was sexual assault, an interpretation that has found traction among readers.[3][4][5] Sharon tells everyone that the father was a Spanish sailor, to avoid the embarrassment and the shame of everybody knowing. However, most of the town believes the truth. She is often criticized and made fun of because of Burgess being the father. Yvonne Burgess shuns her. Jackie, another of Sharon's friends, stands by her, which rekindles their formerly close relationship. The incident temporarily fractures Sharon's relationship with her father and causes her to quit her job as a shelf stacker. Eventually, Burgess returns to his family. Sharon gives birth to a baby girl and considers naming her Georgina.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews praised the novel, referring to it as "...warm, frank, and very funny account of family life and pregnancy".[6]

Adaptations

The Snapper was made into a film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Tina Kellegher and Colm Meaney.[7] The film changes the family surname from 'Rabbitte' to 'Curley' due to issues with the rights.[8]

A version for stage premiered to acclaim at Dublin's Gate Theatre in 2018.[9] The stage show was directed by Róisín McBrinn and revived in 2019.[10]

BBC radio broadcast a reading of the entire Barrytown Trilogy in 2013, performed by Jim Sheridan.[11]

References
  1. "The Snapper". Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. Hyland, Bernadette (February 1991). "Victim of Double Standards". Fortnight (292): 27. JSTOR 25552734.
  3. Doyle, Roddy (1990). The Snapper. London: Vintage U.K.: Random House. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-74-939125-1.
  4. "No laughing matter: The Snapper asks troubling questions that weren't noticed at the time". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. Hyland, Bernadette (1991). Doyle, Roddy (ed.). "Victim of Double Standards". Fortnight (292): 27. ISSN 0141-7762. JSTOR 25552734.
  6. "The Snapper". Kirkus Reviews. 15 May 1992. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  7. "The Snapper – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  8. "The Snapper". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  9. Meany, Helen (23 June 2018). "The Snapper review – Roddy Doyle's baby banter brought to vivid life". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  10. "The Snapper". Gate Theatre Dublin. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  11. "BBC Radio 4 - Roddy Doyle on Radio 4, The Snapper". BBC. Retrieved 8 February 2023.


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