Summary of Skippy Dies
Paul Murray’s boarding school novel “Skippy Dies” tells the story of a 14-year-old boy nicknamed “Skippy”, who dies during a doughnut-eating contest. The novel explores the events leading up to his death, including Skippy’s infatuation with Lori, a girl from the school across the road, and the impact of his death on the students and teaching staff. Set in Seabrook College, a fictional boarding school in Dublin inspired by the author’s own school in Blackrock, a suburb of Dublin, “Skippy Dies” offers a poignant and comical portrayal of adolescent life.
Reasons to read Skippy Dies
“Skippy Dies” is a dark satire of the traditional education system and of the materialistic Irish society during the economic boom of the 2000s. The novel explores the hardships of being a teenager – the insecurities, loneliness, and search for identity in a world where everyone else seems taller and more knowledgeable about sex, drugs, and video games. Paul Murray is an Irish writer best known for his novels “Skippy Dies”, “The Bee Sting” (winner of the 2023 Irish Novel of the Year award), “The Mark and the Void”, and “An Evening of Long Goodbyes”.
Setting: Dublin (Ireland)
Seabrook College is inspired by the real Blackrock College on the south side of Dublin.
Original title: Skippy Dies
Year of publication: 2010
Nr of pages: 672
