Reviews with content warning for Child death - Foster

The pastoral tone of this novella is comforting until suddenly it isn’t and the reader is locked in an eerie space.

Eloquent prose becomes disarming over time.

The rural setting lends itself to the strange calm that gradually leads into something unnerving. The characters are complicated, mysterious, and their true motives hidden.

I appreciated a view of grief from a slightly different angle. This novella takes the views of a child surrounding dark and difficult topics and plants them in the natural pleasant landscape of the Irish countryside. I felt simultaneously calmed and unnerved.

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joannalouise's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

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cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

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5.0

Read as part of my reading around the world challenge for Ireland. This cemented to me that I love novellas. This was short, but full of heart. I will be reading more from this author.

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jcole32's review

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emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

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shelbylanglois's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? No

4.25

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strictlydancer12's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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clstrifes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.75

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leahgustafson's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

4.0

This short novella really packs a punch! To be honest, I love when writers can tell a complete, compelling story using language to capture strong feelings/emotions in a short amount of pages. I am always impressed by the precision and thoughtfulness this takes!

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Foster is the story of a pre-teen girl living in rural Ireland who is sent to live with relatives due to her family’s struggles while her mom is pregnant with a new baby. Claire Keegan does an incredible job bringing to life this girl’s confusion, heartache, longing, and (for a time) love/contentedness. Her use of language is incredible!

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One thing that stands out about this story is that Keegan puts a lot of trust in the reader to fill in the gaps of what’s going on. This might feel strange/different at first, but I felt the rich descriptions and expert use of language did not leave me guessing too much. After thinking through it more, the uneasiness or initial confusion does a great job to parallel the girl’s experience. We (the reader) experience the story through her observations/interactions which (I find) makes it even more impactful.

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This is a beautiful novella that I read in one sitting. If you’re looking for something quick but also literary, this is an excellent choice!
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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

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