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Small Things Like These
A Literary Fiction Novella by Claire Keegan
Subgenres:
- Family Saga,
- Religious Themes
This book is for you if you're into...
- You crave quiet heroism in small-town Irish settings
- You want moral dilemmas wrapped in holiday atmosphere
- You enjoy stories confronting silence and complicity
From Little Stack
This is a story that is short but mighty, packing a powerful punch. Set in a small Irish town as Christmas approaches in 1985, the story follows coal miner and timber merchant Bill Furlong during his busiest season. One morning, during a routine delivery, Bill discovers a young girl locked in a coal shed and is forced to face the stark truth of the church’s control of the town and the horrors they inflict behind closed doors.
I had heard about Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries but not read much about them. With the last of the laundries closing as recently as 1996, this story offers a glimpse into how the church was able to continue their atrocities for so long. Claire Keegan doesn’t waste a word as she explores the very best and worst of humanity in this profound tale. A short but haunting story that will stay with me forever.
A New York Times Bestseller • Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize • Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Small Things Like These is award-winning author Claire Keegan's landmark new novel, a tale of one man's courage and a remarkable portrait of love and family
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
An international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
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