The Van

The hilarious third novel of Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy focuses on the senior Jimmy Rabbitte and his hugely unsuccessful business venture."Roddy Doyle is a phenomenon... The Van is not just a very funny book, it is also faultless comic writing." - New StatesmanTwo old friends who are down on their luck and short of options decide that fast food might be the best way to make some fast cash. Jimmy Rabbitte senior and his best friend Bimbo buy an old fish-and-chip van and go into business in the Dublin of the 1990s. Not everything goes exactly to plan, however... A touching and poignant tale of male friendship, peppered with swearwords and salted with humour."There have been no novels published this year which are as funny, as understanding about the triumphs and indignities of family life, or as brave in touching upon the raw nerves of the male psyche." - The GuardianRoddy Doyle is the author of 11 novels, a collection of stories, and Rory & Ita, a memoir of his parents. Doyle has written five books for children and several anthologies. He has also written for the stage. His plays include a co-adaption with Joe O’Byrne of his novel The Woman who Walked into Doors and he co-wrote with Bisi Adigun a new version of The Playboy of the Western World. He also wrote the screenplays for The Snapper, The Van, Family, When Brendan Met Trudy and co-wrote the screenplay for The Commitments. Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. is unemployed, spending his days alone and miserable. When his best friend, Bimbo, also gets laid off, they keep busy by being miserable together. Things seem to look up when they buy a decrepit fish-and-chip van and go into business, selling cheap grub to the drunk and the hungry—and keeping one step ahead of the environmental health officers. Set during the heady days of Ireland's brief, euphoric truimphs in the 1990 World cup, The Van is a tender and hilarious tale of male friendship and family life. Set in a Dublin suburb during the 1990 World Cup, this novel completes a trilogy which began with "The Commitments" and "The Snapper". Jimmy Rabbitte Sr seeks refuge from the vicissitudes of unemployment by joining a friend in running a fish-and-chip van. The Van is a 1991 novel by Roddy Doyle and the third novel in [The Barrytown Trilogy](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL762601W/The_Barrytown_Trilogy).