LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2021

'One of the year's funniest books' i Paper

'Funny, smart, soulful and sometimes devastating ... It made me laugh and cry' EMILIE PINE, author of Notes to Self
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Patrick Freyne has tried a lot of stupid ideas in his life. Now, he is here to tell you about them: like the time (aged 5) he opened a gate and let a horse out of its field, just to see what would happen; or the time (aged 19) he jumped out of a plane for charity, even though he didn't much care about the charity and was sure he'd end up dead; or the time (aged old enough to know better) he used a magazine as a funnel for fuel when the petrol cap on his band's van broke.

He has also learned a few things: about the power of group song; about the beauty of physically caring for another human being; about childlessness; about losing friends far too young. Life as seen through the eyes of Patrick Freyne is stranger, funnier and a lot 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 moving, always deeply humane. OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea is a joyous reading experience from an instantly essential new writer.
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'Patrick Freyne is a comic genius' MARIAN KEYES

'Clever, lovely and great, great fun' RODDY DOYLE

'Funny and adorable' NINA STIBBE

'The most gorgeous and heartbreaking book about humans and why we need each other' DAISY BUCHANAN

'Hilariously, painfully, Freynefully brilliant' JOSEPH O'CONNOR

'Wonderful ... One of my books of the year' RYAN TUBRIDY

'Full of humour and tenderness, this book is an absolute JOY' SINÉAD GLEESON

'F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer' BLINDBOY BOATCLUB

'A cracking, sad, funny, honest, brave and hilarious read' LIZ NUGENT

'Guffaw-out-loud funny' Business Post

'A writer of rare humour, depth, and humanity. These essays are a delight' MARK O'CONNELL, author of To Be a Machine

'Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book' DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA

"One of the year's funniest books ... witty, wise and worth returning to again and again" - i Paper

"Warm, wry, charming, absorbing ... It's the most gorgeous and heartbreaking book about humans and why we need each other" - via Twitter

"A cracking, sad, funny, honest, brave and hilarious read" - via Twitter

"I don't know another writer who could balance poignancy and hilarity with such grace ... Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book" - via Twitter

"Guffaw-out-loud funny" - Business Post

"A riotous read from the get-go ... An absolute tonic for our times" - RTÉ Guide

"F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer" - via Twitter

"Lovely ... It's very worth reading" - via Twitter

"A wonderful book ... done with a gorgeous twist of humour and great emotional insight ... One of my books of the year" - RTÉ Radio 1

"Exquisite ... One of the funniest writers in Ireland" - Irish Examiner

"Immensely readable, warm, human and very, very funny" - Irish Daily Star

"Pixies were loud-quiet-loud. Patrick Freyne is funny-sad-funny. I really loved his new book" - via Twitter

"Readers are sure to find themselves touched by Freyne's writing ... Delightful" - Journal.ie

"Freyne's thoroughly entertaining debut is a flash of warmth and wit in the darkness" - Totally Dublin

"Genuinely moving ... [It] will evoke warmth in anyone who isn't totally sociopathic" - Hot Press

"A delightful insight into the mind of the hilarious Patrick Freyne" - Irish Country Magazine

"Freyne's radar is precision-honed to find the madness within the mundane" - Sunday Independent

"More moving that I ever expected and somehow funnier than I assumed" - Irish Times, Best Books of 2020