Small Things Like These
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3.7 • 23 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The landmark new novel from award-winning author Claire Keegan
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.
Already 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This poignant work of historical fiction will transport you to the working classes of 1980s Ireland, where the Catholic Church creeps into all corners of everyday life—but isn’t necessarily a moral force. Rough-edged but generous Bill Furlong sells coal to put his daughters through religious school and secure a brighter future, but right next door he discovers the same nuns subjecting downtrodden women to horrifying abuse and finds himself in a serious dilemma. An emotionally deep story, Small Things Like These thoughtfully navigates questions of love, loyalty, and righteousness as it lays out Furlong’s complex ties with his family, community, and God. Those emotions are all heightened by author Claire Keegan’s portrayal of the town’s claustrophobic atmosphere, where criticizing the church means living as an outcast. Narrator Aidan Kelly delivers the saga in a gruff yet warm Irish accent that fits the multitudes of Furlong and the other characters. This thought-provoking novel immerses us in the beauty and tragedy of its time and place.
