Small Things Like These

by Claire Keegan · 2021

Set in a small Irish town in 1985, *Small Things Like These* follows Bill Furlong, a coal merchant whose busy Christmas season delivery to a local convent leads to a startling discovery. The find forces Bill to confront his own past and the silent complicity of a community dominated by the church. Through Bill’s quiet courage, Claire Keegan paints a vivid portrait of love, family, and moral choice, exploring how ordinary lives intersect with larger social and religious forces. The novel has been celebrated as an Oprah’s Book Club pick, a New York Times bestseller, a 2022 Booker Prize shortlist, and a winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.