A couple of friends recommended Claire Keegan to me and this was the one that was available from the library first. It’s a short novella but there’s much more story there than the length would indicate.

A young Irish girl is sent to live with a couple in another town. Her life with them is very different from her life at home and the experience changes both her and the couple who care for her.

The writing is gorgeous and I definitely want to read more of Keegan’s work. ( )

Most every reader friend I have loves Claire Keegan, but clearly I am missing something. This was a pleasant read, quietly sad, which is exactly how I felt about Small Things Like These. This long short story or short novella contains lovely prose, no question, but as a whole it was bittersweet and conveyed nothing surprising or delightful to me, there are no insights to be had. It is pretty and melancholic and I generally enjoyed spending time with it. A 3.5. ( )

I listened to this in audiobook format.

Foster is a short story about an Irish girl sent to live with a couple while her mother gives birth to the next of several children. She warms to the couple as they take far better care of her than her own parents did. The ending is sad. I liked the story but have trouble really getting into anything that isn't at least 300 pages. The audiobook performer had the most glorious voice though. ( )

There's a reason Foster is required reading in Ireland's middle school. It's brilliant!! Elegantly written and very moving. ( )

This short story tells a first-person account of an Irish child sent to live with relatives in the countryside. At the outset, she does not know whether she will ever return home again. She quickly discovers that her new guardians are kind and affectionate in a way that her parents never were. She grows to feel at home there… until something terrible happens to make her see her situation for what it is. Then her parents have her return home, where she faces a new problem – whether to speak or to remain silent about her experiences.

Claire Keegan’s writing appeals to those who like shorter works of fiction and appreciate books where the events themselves drive the plot. I had to reread parts of this work because the plot movements were so subtle, yet after rereading them, I found the entire work to be ingenious. Her style is almost too nuanced, but her themes possess an infinitely deep quality.

Like the rest of Keegan’s writing, this story is succinctly worded without spending any loose energy. It reminds readers that things are not always as they seem and that speaking the truth remains an eminent human virtue. She nobly puts a magnifying glass on vulnerable children such as those fostered in the vulnerable society of Ireland. Because her stories are so understated, she encourages readers to focus upon details to extract meaning. As in literature, so in life. ( )