About the Author

PAUL MURRAY was born in 1975. He studied English literature it Trinity College, Dublin, and took a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. A former bookseller, Murray lives in Dublin. An Evening of Long Goodbyes, his first novel, was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize, and earned Murray a nomination for the Kerry Irish Fiction Award.

Reviews

"Paul Murray manages to fit a brilliant social novel in the small spaces of a farce, without ever losing his lightness of touch or his sense of humor.  The result is something absolutely unique.  Murray starts with Wodehouse (and does him proud), but ends somewhere entirely his own–somewhere very, very funny and surprisingly touching.  I really love this book."
–Arthur Phillips, bestselling author of Prague 

“A lyrical, satirical tour de force, a huge, hilarious elegy. A surreal and very funny festival of truths, fictions, luck, and love. How can this be a first novel? A triumph.”
–Ali Smith, Booker Prize finalist and author of Hotel World

“One of the most entertaining and laugh-out-loud Irish yarns of recent years.”
–Irish Independent

“The plot scuttles along with Wodehouse-like delirium. . . . Murray’s clearly having fun, but beneath the bouncy tone he manages to weave real depth into the characters’ relationships.”
–Time Out (London)

“A hilarious, rich and satisfying novel.”
–The Times Literary Supplement

“[A] comedy of the highest caliber.”
–The Sunday Tribune (Ireland)

Since the death of his father and the institutionalization of his alcoholic mother, 24-year-old Charles Hythloday has devoted his life to reviving "the contemplative life of the country gentleman" on his family's crumbling seaside estate near Dublin. Much to his sister Bel's disgust, he spends his days primarily drinking vodka gimlets, building a Folly in the backyard, and generally avoiding the outside world. Citing the Renaissance concept of sprezzatura, Charles justifies his inaction: "If one were to laze, then one must laze beautifully. This...was the true meaning of being an aristocrat." The arrival of Frank, Bel's latest oafish boyfriend, and the discovery that the family is broke force the indolent Charles to take decisive action, including (horrors!) getting a real job. Nominated for a Whitbread First Novel Award, this likable shaggy-dog story is full of poignant humor and colorful, if at times broadly drawn, characters. Although the meandering plot starts off slowly, and Charles initially comes across as a spoiled twit, his (and his sister's) struggle to embrace life in all its complexities will endear the Hythloday siblings. to readers Strongly recommended. Wilda Williams, Library Journal Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"Paul Murray manages to fit a brilliant social novel in the small spaces of a farce, without ever losing his lightness of touch or his sense of humor. The result is something absolutely unique. Murray starts with Wodehouse (and does him proud), but ends somewhere entirely his own-somewhere very, very funny and surprisingly touching. I really love this book."
-Arthur Phillips, bestselling author of Prague

"A lyrical, satirical tour de force, a huge, hilarious elegy. A surreal and very funny festival of truths, fictions, luck, and love. How can this be a first novel? A triumph."
-Ali Smith, Booker Prize finalist and author of Hotel World

"One of the most entertaining and laugh-out-loud Irish yarns of recent years."
-Irish Independent

"The plot scuttles along with Wodehouse-like delirium. . . . Murray's clearly having fun, but beneath the bouncy tone he manages to weave real depth into the characters' relationships."
-Time Out (London)

"A hilarious, rich and satisfying novel."
-The Times Literary Supplement

"[A] comedy of the highest caliber."
-The Sunday Tribune (Ireland)