ecari 's review for:

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan
5.0
dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
Claire Keegan is a beautiful writer - even when she is telling stories about loneliness, misogyny, terror, toil, hatred. All three of the stories in this compilation struck me as illustrations of failed human connections, understood through 3 very different individuals and their inner lives - desires, motivations, existential angst, responsibilities - contrasted with a primary relationship with another person. And I should be clear that all 3 stories showcase the terrible treatment of women by men.  The first story “So Late in the Day” made me angry as Keegan unpacks the generalization of hatred from an individual to a group. The second “A Long and Painful Death” caught me by surprise and left me with a smile on my face. The final story - Antarctica - left me as cold as its title evokes. One thing Keegan guarantees is that her tales will stick like glue in my psyche.
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