Back to Barrytown

I'm over the halfway mark now with Roddy Doyle's The Van. It reads so easily I can imagine someone reading it in a couple of sittings but I'm content to spin it out, a bit here, a lot there. Jimmy Sr. is an entirely convincing character. I've known at least five guys who were similar in most respects. I can understand why Doyle felt he deserved a full novel, and one that's a good deal longer than The Commitments. But much as I've enjoyed the book I think it lacks something somehow. It seems a good deal more predictable than either of its predecessors, as if what we'd learnt about Jimmy Sr. in The Snapper was enough. I find myself wondering if another character had been put at the centre of things the story wouldn't have had more punch. As it is, it feels a bit like an excellent sit-com that's now in its second season; the novelty has worn off and the novelty is what gave it its edge. Mind you, I'm nowhere near finished and there could be surprises in store.