In his work for the Irish Times, Patrick Freyne has established himself as one of the funniest and most consistently interesting journalists at work today. Now, in his first book, he emerges as an essayist of genius, capable of making us laugh and cry on the same page.
Life as seen through the eyes of Patrick Freyne is stranger and more interesting than life as we generally know it. Like David Sedaris or Nora Ephron, he creates an environment all his own - fundamentally comic, sometimes unsettling, always deeply humane. Whether he is writing about the absurdity of life (the band he used to be in, some crappy jobs he's had, ridiculous adventures one summer in Germany) or darkness and loss (his struggles with his mental health, encounters with the homeless in Dublin, his experiences as a care worker), he leaves the reader with the rare and comforting feeling of being in good hands. And when he writes about the deaths of two close friends, or life without children, or the power of group song, he brings us to the highest levels that the essay can attain.
OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea is a joyous reading experience from an instantly essential new writer.
