Review: 'Small Things Like These' is a gem of a slim novel

Good things come in small packages is a popular phrase this time of year, but it usually shows up in jewelry advertisements, not book reviews

“Small Things Like These,” by Claire Keegan (Grove Press)

“Small Things Like These” is a gem of a slim novel about a family man faced with a moral decision.

In just 114 pages, the book introduces readers to Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in a small Irish town. “Furlong had come from nothing,” writes Keegan. His mother was just 16 when he was born after the Second World War and he never knew his father. They survived thanks to the kindness of his mother’s employer, a wealthy widow with household staff. The year is 1985 and students of Irish history will glean something from the dedication: “This story is dedicated to the women and children who suffered time in Ireland’s mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries.” Readers ignorant of Irish history will have to wait for “A Note on the Text” at the end of the novel for some helpful context.

Context in advance or at the end, it’s still a deeply moving tale. Furlong is the father of five girls, stuck in a bit of a rut. Up before the sun rises to supervise work at the coal yard, he lies in bed with his wife after the end of each long day, going over things that need doing or sharing bits of gossip he picked up during the day’s deliveries. It’s that simple act that gives the novel its title: “Some nights, Furlong lay there with Eileen, going over small things like these,” writes Keegan.