Scan barcode
A review by sheilareads_
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
4.0
“… he felt the strain of being alive and wished he had stayed in bed, but he made himself carry on…”
For a book titled Small Things Like These the topics it explores aren’t “small”. The book sheds light on the history of the Magdalene laundries, bringing awareness to the horrors that thousands of women faced at the hands of the church. It’s a dark and heavy history occurring simultaneously in the background of our main character’s mundane working class life. Keegan brilliantly uses Furlong to juxtapose these two realities as she explores working-class struggles, existential dread, nostalgia, gender dynamics, and altruism with nuanced depth and insight. In just a few pages, Keegan weaves a brilliant and complex narrative, making it my shortest yet most impactful read of the year. I highly recommend this book. Small Things Like These is a must read that resonates long after the last page.
For a book titled Small Things Like These the topics it explores aren’t “small”. The book sheds light on the history of the Magdalene laundries, bringing awareness to the horrors that thousands of women faced at the hands of the church. It’s a dark and heavy history occurring simultaneously in the background of our main character’s mundane working class life. Keegan brilliantly uses Furlong to juxtapose these two realities as she explores working-class struggles, existential dread, nostalgia, gender dynamics, and altruism with nuanced depth and insight. In just a few pages, Keegan weaves a brilliant and complex narrative, making it my shortest yet most impactful read of the year. I highly recommend this book. Small Things Like These is a must read that resonates long after the last page.