Small Things Like These

Author: Claire Keegan
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic Inc., 2021
Pages: 128
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: 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.

Review: Sometimes short books are the hardest to get into, and sometimes they're perfect. I loved this short story. I sympathized with the characters immediately, and was in awe of the author who pulled me in with so little explanation and detail. This story packed a punch and did not belabor the subject. Five stars.