Book club pick for November and it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan
It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him – and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
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I’ve never read a book by this author, but it was picked for book club, and it seemed like it was a good fit for the season as the winter weather rolls in.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I knew that this book had been made into a film, so I was really surprised that it was so short. It is another short book that has managed to pack a lot into its pages.
There was something quite calming about getting a glimpse into Bill Furlong’s life as he and his family, along with the community they live in, get ready for Christmas. However, this calm didn’t last long, as Bill made a discovery that put him at odds with the church.
Bill is caught between doing what he believes is right and makes him a good Christian, and what he is being persuaded to look past by the church. As someone who has benefited at the hands of another who was generous and did the right thing despite what others might have thought, it is something that he is grappling with as he knows how much that kindness weighed on his life.
The power in this story lies in the unsaid and the unknown. Bill makes his choice, and we are left to imagine what the consequences of that choice will be. It leaves you with a lot to think about, and I felt the sinister undertone in this story play on my mind long after reading.
everywhere-and-nowhere.com 