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A review by carriepond
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I came into Small Things Like These knowing essentially two things: it was historical fiction about a small town in Ireland and that it was roundly praised in literary circles. To say this blew me away is an understatement.
I am glad I came into this not knowing much about it, so I will do others the same favor and let you discover this as it unfolds in the way I did.
Small Things Like These is confident in its simplicity, with perfectly rendered characters and no sentence that feels unnecessary or out of place. And it profoundly explores complicity, religious hypocrisy, and the difficulty of change.
Bill Furlong is a character who will stick with me for a long time. Read this beautiful book.
I am glad I came into this not knowing much about it, so I will do others the same favor and let you discover this as it unfolds in the way I did.
Small Things Like These is confident in its simplicity, with perfectly rendered characters and no sentence that feels unnecessary or out of place. And it profoundly explores complicity, religious hypocrisy, and the difficulty of change.
Bill Furlong is a character who will stick with me for a long time. Read this beautiful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Death of parent and Excrement