I was talking to one of the workers at a local bookshop, and he happened to mention that Skippy Dies by Paul Murray is one of his favourite books. I was familiar with him because The Bee Sting, his most recent, was a huge hit (but I hadn’t read it at the time). So I decided to pick it up, despite its heftyness at 660 pages.
This is a book that hooks you in almost immediately. Murray has a quirky style of writing, it’s a comedy, it’s a tragedy, it’s funny and sad, but most of all and most importantly, he has an understanding of adolescence I’ve only come across few times.
Over the course of this massive book, you get to know Skippy, the titular character, a 14-year-old boy in a catholic boarding school in Ireland who can’t seem to tell anyone what’s truly on his mind. Why is he taking these pills to sleep? Why does he want to quit the swimming team when he’s gotten them a star-turning victory?
And his group of friends, nerds and try-hards alike. In just a few months, you follow Skippy, his friends, a potential girlfriend and even the teachers in a disastrous school year at Seabrook College, leading up to Skippy’s death at a donut shop (don’t worry about spoilers – it’s the opening scene and the title of the book), and the aftermath.
Between Skippy, teacher Howard the Coward, rumours about priests, an overbearing and controlling school master (or principal?), you get many perspectives of the events that unfold.
Themes of adolescence, Catholicism, string theory, Irish history, buried secrets, drug addiction, mundane adulthood, inspiring students or letting them down, “breaking free”, it’s a sprawling masterpiece. Completely addictive with a sense of humour. The banter among the boys is so realistic. The triumphant highs and bludgeoning lows of being 14, when the only thing in the world that matters is having a girlfriend.
The characters are so vivid. Paul Murray has a way for characterization, I swear (I felt the same when I finally got around to The Bee Sting, even PJ’s character, the 12-year-old son). It’s Skippy’s best friend and roommate Ruprecht who will shatter your heart to bits, his heartbreak and desperation to bring him back in any way possible, a bullied overweight nerd who knows that he is now absolutely and truly alone.
I can see some being bored of the parts on string theory, the Big Bang theory, how the universe came to be and the boys debating it, but it’s a reoccurring theme because, in these boys’ lives and the school community, it’s as if Skippy’s death is the “big bang” that starts life for so many people. The consequences, the aftermath, the devastation, and what comes out of it. And it’s truly, truly tragic. But inspiring for others.
Oh, and the annual fall school dance from several perspectives. Talk about suspense.
I’m somewhat baffled this isn’t talked about more often. It was so addictive, I couldn’t put it down. It’s the best book I’ve read this year so far, without a doubt. Between Skippy Dies and The Bee Sting (yes I know it was controversial), I know I’d be picking up Paul Murray’s next sprawling masterpiece.
by Dancing_Clean