Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Small Things Like These

A tender, yet unflinching, account of cruelty that is easier to passively ignore than to confront. The protagonist is himself vulnerable and busy, and has plenty of reasons to focus on other things but his mind won’t let him forget what he stumbled into and perhaps wishes he had not seen. The prose is the main attraction here - it feels as though the author is only documenting what the characters choose to acknowledge which somehow creates a palpable sense of the things that they’re not saying out loud. This brief little book can be easily read in one sitting, yet it somehow feels like it packs in all of the depth and nuance of a much longer novel. The author’s humble prose conveys only what must be said. It almost feels more like a parable, as it’s grounded in ancient, essential truths yet told in an accessible, modern form. I was nervous about where it was going and how it would end (it seemed fairly predictable) and was thoroughly won over by the thrilling last couple of pages. Looking forward to reading other works by this author as she seems to have a firm grasp on what is worth writing (and reading) about.

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skylarkblue1's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This was pretty disappointing. The subject matter is tough but needs to be talked about, but the book barely does that.

I didn't really feel anything from this book. The writing was nice and did paint a decent picture of the scene but in the end I was left feeling like it was kinda just... All about nothing. Reading other reviews shows it didn't really teach anything about magdalene laundries other than they existed and where bad. It doesn't go that much into what abuses where suffered by women in those places - barely enough for most of the content warnings to be applicable. It tries to keep things light and hopeful especially with the ending, but feels like it ends up undermining how serious this piece of history is.

If you've watched broadchurch, it felt a bit like watching a bad version of that classic opening, the one-shot where Mark is walking through town but you know something bad is happening in the background. At least with Broadchurch it actually does something with the "bad" stuff lmao. Here instead it attempts a hapy ending but just feels a bit bleak and empty.

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

While “Foster” made me cry, this one made me seethe with rage, and it is an empathetic novella about mustering the courage to fight against injustices that are buried under the surface, even when you only have your bare hands to dig them up.

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angievansprang's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

It was an apt time in history to be reading this text. With the various genocides going on in the world and much of the West turning a blind eye, it really begs the question of who should intervene when something immoral is occurring and when they should do so. A true grappling with what is comfortable or convenient over what is right, this book was well done and easy to read.

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sophiesmallhands's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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faenth's review

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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notthatcosta's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I had a lot of anticipation before reading this, and overall I found it very well written and well paced, albeit a lot more subtle than I was expecting. This is my first time reading Claire Keegan's work but I've since seen some reviews remarking that her other stuff is a lot darker than this, which intrigues me.

The dialogue was particularly strong from the supporting townspeople, the opaqueness of which complemented the earnestness and pathos of the protagonist. I really got a good sense of his temperament, motivations and backstory, which is an achievement in a novella.

I appreciated the economy of the writing and how it created an air of tension and mystery whilst providing enough exposition to keep you in the story. It made me hungry for more, which is the mark of a good writer, especially of shorter books.

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