Summary

=Summary =

The snapper is a novel written by Roddy Doyle. He is an Irish author who often writes novels that are rooted in working-class experiences. It’s very easy to identify The snapper to Roddy Doyle, because the story is centred around a family of seven in a small village just outside of Dublin. We follow this family through times of problems, joyful moments and a lot of frustrations. In this period of time (a little less than a year), we first meet the young girl Sharon Rabbitte and her family. The Rabbitte family is a poor, peculiar but loving Irish family. Sharon, who is the oldest daughter in the house, realizes one day that she is pregnant, and the story begins when she announces this to her parents. They actually handle the big news great! However, Sharon decides to keep the name of her baby’s’ father a secret, and that annoys Jimmy Sr. (Sharon’s father) quite a lot. //“- Who was it? - Wha’? - Oh. I don’t know. - Ah now, Jaysis! - No, I do know. - Well then? - I’m not tellin’ Jimmy Sr could feel himself getting a bit angry now” p. 3// He tries to be supportive, but all the gossiping about his family and daughter is exhausting for him. Sharon seems to be the usual Irish teenager; she enjoys spending time with her friends, drinking, and to gossip about boys. At first, Sharon finds it quite difficult to admit to her friends that she is pregnant. At several occasions she tries to tell them, but somehow she gets interrupted every time. When she finally find the right moment, her friends are actually also very supportive. In addition to having the support from her family, the support from her friends is very important for Sharon. They all have to stand closely together and help each other. Otherwise they could risk being totally destroyed by all the cruel and mean rumours about Sharon’s’ pregnancy. There are plenty of speculations, suggestions and false rumours over the following six months. Will Sharon manage to rise above all of this?

Roddy Doyle has chosen to write this novel with an all-knowing voice/omniscient. We can read the thoughts and feelings from both Sharon and her father; Jimmy Sr. This helps the reader see the situation from several viewpoints, and it is easier to understand each character better. The plot in The snapper is centred around the difficult situation Sharon is in; unexpected pregnancy among young girls. This issue is very common in the society we live in today, and therefore a very important topic to write about. That is why I find it quite interesting to see that a book like The snapper, which is really meant to be a comedy book that amuses and makes the reader laugh, can bring up such important and relevant issues. In addition to this, the importance of having a near and close family disappears as a subordinate plot. These plots connect very well together, and add depth and strength to the story.

Back to main page