Smile: A Novel

"Irish novelist Roddy Doyle has always been known for his uproariously funny books, but his latest novel doesn’t have any laughs, and that’s by design. Smile follows a middle-aged man reeling from a breakup as he meets an old schoolmate who reminds him of a past he’d just as soon forget. It’s a shocking book, at times almost unbearable to read, and it’s by far the most serious of Doyle’s career. It’s also his bravest novel yet, and, by far, his best."