1) Who is your favorite character in the novel? And why?

2) Describe Jimmy Sr.'s relationship with his children; with young people in general.

3) How does the novel shed light on the nature of friendship?

4) How does the novel illuminate issues involving marriage?

5) How does the novel bring out the question of employment as a feature of one's identity?

6) Discuss the social class issues raised by this novel.

7) How, if at all, does the culture of the characters in the novel differ from people you have met?

8) Translate a page of dialogue from the novel into modern English

9) Roddy Doyle's prose style has been called poetic. Do you agree? Discuss.

10) While this novel deals with serious themes, many people have found it wildly humorous. Discuss, using specific examples from the text.