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A review by thebobsphere
Foster by Claire Keegan
5.0
Claire Keegan has a knack of making the most out out of very little. Her latest novel Small Things Like These explored the Magdalene laundries through the eyes of a person who lives a comfortable life, thus mixing a topical subject with social class. 2010’s Foster is only 88 pages but there is a lot going on.
The plot is deceptively simple: a neglected girl is sent to distant relatives who are husband and wife as her mother is having a baby and her father is not really capable of looking after her. Through various episodes, the girl discovers that life with the relatives is better and that showing care changes her. the backdrop is the Troubles
However there is one scene where she asks the wife whether she keeps secrets to which she says that she never does.
As the book progresses we discover that now and then we all keep secrets.
Told beautifully, with a lot of heart, I’m amazed at how Claire Keegan manages to create such well rounded characters in a small space of time. Every scene is memorable and dialogue is sharp, I rarely use perfect but Foster works on every level,
The plot is deceptively simple: a neglected girl is sent to distant relatives who are husband and wife as her mother is having a baby and her father is not really capable of looking after her. Through various episodes, the girl discovers that life with the relatives is better and that showing care changes her. the backdrop is the Troubles
However there is one scene where she asks the wife whether she keeps secrets to which she says that she never does.
As the book progresses we discover that now and then we all keep secrets.
Told beautifully, with a lot of heart, I’m amazed at how Claire Keegan manages to create such well rounded characters in a small space of time. Every scene is memorable and dialogue is sharp, I rarely use perfect but Foster works on every level,