High up on the hypermodern collectible list is Skippy Dies by Paul Murray - Just released in the U.S. yesterday (August 31, 2010), and most likely masked by the Franzen frenzy. The U.K. edition is the "true first," published by Hamish Hamilton (London, 2010). This edition came out in a three paperback, boxed set and is currently listing for $100 - $175 on abebooks.com. The U.S. edition is the first hardcover edition, and as such will probably garner an equally high price once the first editions sell out.Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the subject of this dazzling and uproarious novel, unraveling a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. With a cast of characters that ranges from hip-hop-loving fourteen-year-old Eoin “MC Sexecutioner” Flynn to basketballplaying midget Philip Kilfether, packed with questions and answers on everything from Ritalin, to M-theory, to bungee jumping, to the hidden meaning of the poetry of Robert Frost, Skippy Dies is a heartfelt, hilarious portrait of the pain, joy, and occasional beauty of adolescence, and a tragic depiction of a world always happy to sacrifice its weakest members. As the twenty-first century enters its teenage years, this is a breathtaking novel from a young writer who will come to define his generation.
Labels: collectible, Hypermodern, Long list, Man-Booker Prize, Paul Murray, Skippy Dies