The Snapper (novel)
The Snapper (1990) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle and the second novel in "The Barrytown Trilogy". 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 of 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 one-night stand while drunk. 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 . Because of the incident, Burgess runs away from home, and Sharon quits her job as a shelf stacker. Reception. "Kirkus Reviews" praised the novel, referring to it as "...warm, frank, and very funny account of family life and pregnancy". Adaptations. "The Snapper" was made into a film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Tina Kellegher and Colm Meaney. A version for stage premiered to acclaim at Dublin’s Gate Theatre in 2018.