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BOOKS I READ: Small Things Like These (2021) and Foster (2022) by Claire Keegan.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (2021). Bill Furlong is the proprietor of the yard that sells coal, wood, and anthracite to the homes and businesses in the area. During a delivery to the nearby convent, he sees something he shouldn’t have seen, and probably wishes he didn’t see, a young woman that has been left out in the cold, and is in obvious discomfort. This convent runs one of the infamous Magdalen laundries of Ireland, places were young woman were sent to reform through work and rules. Furlong’s personal history—he’s the son of an unwed mother—makes him doubly empathetic toward the woman. Whatever he decides, to act or not, is bound to create much turmoil in his coming days.
Foster by Claire Keegan (2022). A young girl is sent away to live with relatives. There, she settles into a very different household than her parents’. The Kinsellas, unlike her mom and dad, seem genuinely interested in her and her well-being. These differences slowly become more and more apparent as she shares time with the couple, and with each of them, separately. The Kinsellas are equally smitten with the girl for reasons that become apparent. Unfortunately, they all know she must return to her home once her mother recovers from the birth of a new sibling.
I found these award-winning novellas by the Irish writer Claire Keegan delightful reads, even though they lean dark and somber. Once you start, they are hard to put down till you reach the end.
Pick up a copy of Small Things Like These or Foster at my Bookshop.org affiliate stand. Check out my reading-log. The previous entry was:
