About the Book:
It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him – and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
An exquisite winter tale of courage – and its cost, set in Catholic Ireland.
Published by Faber
Released October 2022
My Thoughts:
This novella is perfection. It is a literal tiny masterpiece that demonstrates the power of fiction. Set in the mid-1980s, Thatcher is in power in the UK and Ireland is struggling economically. Bill Furlong, child of an unwed Irish mother, father to five girls, stumbles upon a girl who is terrified and mistreated on the grounds of a convent. Something inside him shifts and he acts with instinct.
‘As they carried on along and met more people Furlong did and did not know, he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?’
I love how Claire Keegan writes, with such elegance. Little wonder this novella was Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize list. I’m not giving away much with this one, but trust me, it’s stunning.
Theresa Smith Writes 
I agree, it’s a beautiful book!
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I can’t believe how much she can convey with so few pages. She’s such an excellent writer.
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One of my favourite reads of last year. Exquisite in its economy of language but still able to tell a huge story.
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Yes! Unbelievable!
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I loved, loved, loved this!! xx
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I’m unsurprised! We often love the same stories x
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I just read this one at a friend’s urging. So good. Thanks for your review.
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I had seen it popping up over and over on social media, so I knew I had to see what it was about the book that had everyone so keen.
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Agreed! And that’s why I’m going in September to one of Keegan’s writing weekends in Ireland. I have just GOT to meet this woman!
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I am SO JEALOUS!!!
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I borrowed this on a whim from my library’s eBook catalogue and also thought it was very good. It’s rare that I find such a complete story in this amount of pages.
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Yes, often with a novella I’m left wanting more but this was perfect.
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