1991 · novel · part three of the trilogy
The Storywhat it's about
jimmy rabbitte sr. has been made redundant and it's killing him — not the money so much as the days with nothing in them. so when his mate bimbo buys a clapped-out chip van, jimmy sees a lifeline. they'll do burgers and chips outside the pubs and at the football. it's 1990, ireland's in the world cup for the first time, the whole country's gone mad, and surely there's a few quid in feeding the madness. but a chip van can't fix what's actually broken, and the friendship that's meant to survive everything starts buckling under hot fat and hard words. it's the funniest and the saddest of the three.
original commentary. no quoted text from the novel.
Who's In Itkey characters
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr.
newly redundant, desperately filling the days
Bimbo Reeves
jimmy's best mate, owner of the van
Veronica Rabbitte
keeping the house and the man together
Maggie Reeves
bimbo's wife
Darren Rabbitte
helps with the van
Bertie
one of the lads
What Runs Through Itthemes
Contextthe dublin it came from
the late 1980s recession hit working-class dublin men particularly hard — whole factories closed, and a generation of men who'd defined themselves through work suddenly had nothing to do with their hands. then italia '90 happened: ireland qualified for the world cup for the first time and the country lost its collective mind with joy. doyle set the van against this backdrop brilliantly — the euphoria of the football and the despair of the dole queue existing in the same story, in the same man. the book was shortlisted for the booker prize.
On Screenthe film (1996)
directed by Stephen Frears again, reuniting with colm meaney's jimmy sr. — this time the lead rather than the supporting da. the film captures italia '90 fever and the slow collapse of a friendship beautifully. meaney should have gotten awards recognition for this. he didn't. he should have.
notable cast