Small Things like These explained

Small Things like These
Author:Claire Keegan
Language:English
Genre:Historical fiction
Set In:1980s Ireland
Publisher:Grove Press
Pub Date:30 November 2021
Media Type:Print
Pages:128
Awards:Orwell Prize
Isbn:9780802158741
Isbn Note:Hardcover edition
Oclc:1271995923

Small Things like These is a historical fiction novel by Claire Keegan, published on 30 November 2021 by Grove Press. In 2022, the book won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction,[1] and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize[2] and the Booker Prize.[3]

Premise

"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."[4]

Reception

Small Things like These was generally well-received by critics[5] and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews[6] and Library Journal.[7] According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on twenty-one critic reviews with nineteen being "rave" and two being "positive".[8] On Bookmarks March/April 2022 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Get two copies," advised the Washington Post: "one to keep, one to give".[9]

Multiple reviewers commented on the moral storytelling, which comes across as "a sort of anti-Christmas Carol."[10] Kirkus called the book "[a] stunning feat of storytelling and moral clarity." The Herald said the book "assures us we are all capable of doing the right thing, and that goodness, like misery, can be handed on from man to man."[11]

This depth of the book surprised some reviewers, given that Small Things like These is a quick read that could be considered a novella given its length. Associated Press noted, "Keegan's economy of prose is a marvel ... The book takes just an hour or so to read, but you still feel like you know Bill Furlong by the end and understand why he does what he does. His tale of quiet heroism doesn't require any more words."[12] A similar sentiment was echoed in the Los Angeles Times, who wrote, "Keegan, whose short stories contain unusual depth and grandeur, is the only contemporary writer who could manage the feat of a completely imagined, structured and sustained world with such brevity."[13]

Reviewers also highlighted Keegan's writing style. Keegan's prose was referred to as "surprisingly powerful," "languid and crystalline"[14] in Booklist, as well as "quiet and precise, jewel-like in its clarity" in Library Journal. Further, the Financial Times noted, "Keegan has a keen ear for dialect without letting it overwhelm conversations,"[15] and Damon Galgut wrote in The Times Literary Supplement: "Keegan knows how to weigh and pace her sentences, and her fine judgement delivers many subtle pleasures ... [she] fully exploits the power of understatement."[16]

Lamorna Ash, writing in The Guardian, noted that Small Things like These does "not feel quite as devastating, as lasting, as Keegan’s previous work[.] Perhaps, for the first time in her writing, the lightness here has become too light – is kept too far away from the darkness that lurks at the other side of the town."[17]

Year! scope="col"
AwardResult
2022Booker Prize[18]
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
Rathbones Folio Prize

Adaptation

See main article: Small Things Like These (film). The Irish Independent reported in February 2023 that shooting locations for the film adaptation of the book were being sought. Actor Cillian Murphy is lined up to star in the film.[19] In January 2024, it was confirmed that Small Things like These will open the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-07-15 . Awards: Orwell Book Winners, Mo Siewcharran Longlist . 2022-07-16 . Shelf Awareness.
  2. Web site: The Rathbones Folio Prize 2022 . 11 February 2024 . The Rathbones Folio Prize . en-GB.
  3. News: Irish author Claire Keegan nominated for prestigious Booker Prize . 9 September 2022 . TheJournal.ie . 7 September 2022.
  4. Web site: Small Things Like These . 2022-12-13 . Grove Atlantic.
  5. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan . December 12, 2023 . Book Marks . en-US.
  6. Web site: 2021-09-15 . Small Things Like These . 2022-07-16 . Kirkus Reviews.
  7. Web site: Matthews . John G. . 2021-10-01 . Small Things Like These . 2022-07-16 . Library Journal.
  8. Web site: Small Things Like These. 16 January 2024 . Book Marks.
  9. Web site: Small Things Like These. 14 January 2023 . Bookmarks.
  10. Web site: Small Things Like These . 2022-07-16 . Publishers Weekly.
  11. Web site: Garavelli . Dani . 2021-10-25 . ‘Takes the scandal of the Magdalene laundries and tells it so quietly you scarcely want to breathe’: book review . 2022-07-16 . HeraldScotland . en.
  12. Web site: Merrill . Rob . 2021-11-29 . Review: 'Small Things Like These' is a gem of a slim novel . 2022-07-16 . AP NEWS . en.
  13. Web site: Patrick . Bethanne . 2021-11-29 . Review: Can one good person redeem a nation's shame? A novel explores Ireland's Laundries . 2022-07-16 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  14. Web site: Kelly . Bill . 2021-10-01 . Small Things Like These . 2022-07-16 . Booklist.
  15. News: House . Christian . 2021-11-12 . Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan — kindness endures . Financial Times . 2022-07-16.
  16. Web site: Galgut . Damon . The nuns didn’t tell Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan book review . 2022-07-16 . TLS . en-GB.
  17. News: Ash . Lamorna . 2021-10-22 . Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan – between happiness and ruin . 2022-07-16 . The Guardian . en.
  18. News: Bari . Shahidha . 6 September 2022 . 'I've no idea how we'll pick a winner': the challenge of a spectacular Booker shortlist . 6 September 2022 . . en.
  19. News: Looby . David . Cillian Murphy lined up to star in New Ross based film . 9 February 2023 . Irish Independent . 8 February 2023.
  20. News: Goldbart. Max. Cillian Murphy-Starrer ‘Small Things Like These’ To Open Berlinale 2024. 18 January 2024 . Deadline . 18 January 2024.