Smile:

"It's his bravest novel yet; it's also, by far, his best." —npr.org“The closest thing he’s written to a psychological thriller." —The New York Times Book Review“Roddy Doyle always takes us deep below the laughter, into the reality of who we are, the reality that we can never hide from who we’ve been. This time achingly.” —Linden MacIntyre, author of The Bishop’s Man, winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize“Smile retains the usual pleasures of Doyle’s sharp dialogue, well-drawn characters and evocative but undemonstrative prose. It’s also a smart book about the performance of masculinity, the impact of religion on social mores and, most potently, the complicated ways we deal with the after-effects of trauma. . . . It’s guaranteed to make you think. You may be driven to find other readers to discuss it, over pints.” —Maclean’s “Reading Smile, one is swept along—as in all Doyle’s novels—by the vibrancy of the language, the vivid sense of character and place, but nothing prepares you for the final few pages where, in a twist of imaginative brilliance, everything you have read is turned completely on its head.” —Daily Telegraph“Like all good literature, [Smile] will inspire debate but also admiration for the courage of a hugely successful writer who refuses to be predictable and uses the novel to challenge both the reader’s sense of ease and the nature of the form itself.” —John Boyne, The Guardian“[The] early scenes demonstrate Doyle’s gift for capturing the witty and often cruel banter that animates Irish pub talk. . . . The terrible costs . . . are revealed in a violent, dreamlike finale that will send many readers back to the novel’s first page to reassess everything they’ve read. It’s a risky move on Doyle’s part, but it works brilliantly.” —Toronto Star“A book that made me feel I really was in the presence of a master.” —Sebastian Barry, The Observer“Roddy Doyle’s latest novel, which begins in a Dublin pub, seems to be straightforward enough. . . . What it turns out to be will surprise even his most ardent fans.” —Winnipeg Free Press“Smile’s shock value isn’t in graphic or harrowing detail, but in its dizzying twist, which upends expectations.” —The Times“Doyle turns the novel on its head. . . . The ending is a daring tour-de-force.” —The Scotsman “[F]resh and bracing from page one. . . . It isn’t until the final pages that the reader understands just what Doyle has done, and it might take a rereading to appreciate just how well he has done it. The understatement of the narrative makes the climax all the more devastating.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “Readers anticipating Doyle’s trademark wit and warmth will instead encounter a psychological mystery with an enigmatic ending that will have them flipping to the beginning looking for clues. Doyle’s ability to convey so much meaning through rapid-fire dialog in the Irish vernacular is unsurpassed. His commentary about the Catholic Church, sexuality, and repression is searing.” —Library Journal  “Doyle flavors a compelling character study with a soupçon of suspense, misdirecting readers for a powerful purpose that is only fully revealed at the shocking, emotionally charged ending.” —Booklist