Finished Reading: 'Small Things Like These' by Claire Keegan

October 22 2023

This is a novella set in Ireland during winter, and I was taken to the cold streets, and the dark skies – from the late California summer – over this past week, when I started and finished the book. It is influenced by tragic events, that continued to happen till not that long ago, making it a really important read.

First, some spoiler free thoughts. The story was told with a really subdued tone, which made me feel the sadness of the protagonist William Furlong, even more. There was a lot of guilt expressed throughout, and it was a heavy experience. Some really powerful writing, and all of it packed in such a short book.

Click here for the spoiler version

The last chapter surprised me! There was a resigned feeling leading up to it which convinced me that Furlong would just let things go, and that was how the book would end. He didn't though, and it feels like he was as surprised by his decision as I was! It made me feel better, the way the story ended, compared to how I had predicted it would.

This story was also my first introduction to the work of Claire Keegan. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick up more books written by her!

Some relevant links. All are for informational purposes only.

• Link to the Wikipedia entry for Claire Keegan
• Link to the Wikipedia entry for Small Things Like These