The Snapper (novel)
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 First edition | |
| Author | Roddy Doyle |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Barrytown Trilogy |
| Genre | Fiction, comedy |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
Publication date | 1990 |
| Publication place | Ireland |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | 0-436-20004-X |
| Preceded by | The Commitments |
| Followed by | The Van |
The Snapper (1990) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle and the second novel in The Barrytown Trilogy.[1]
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
The Snapper was published in 1990, before the release of The Commitments movie but after the news that it was being made and frequent coverage and discussion of the film shoot in the Irish media. As such, it was released to significantly more hype and expectation than Doyle's debut. An extract of the novel was published in the Sunday Independent prior to its release.[6] Writing for the Sunday Tribune, Peter Sheridan remarked that "Doyle has an extraordinary comic touch - not since I first delved into Flann O'Brien have I so consistently laughed out loud while reading a book".[7] Kirkus Reviews praised the novel, referring to it as "...warm, frank, and very funny account of family life and pregnancy".[8]
In a review for the Irish Independent, Sean McMahon wrote "what is different about this novel and one written even ten years ago is that church and clergy are non-existent. Religion plays no significant part".[9]
