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A review by afrathefish
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
4.25
just everything i love in a book really. keegan writes with grandiose simplicity. there isn’t really any other way to explain how her writing works - she comments on the minute and the mundane and the great all at once, but in a manner that synchronises all three. it’s nothing inherently new and unique, but it is splendid in its blatant display of care and effort and craft that’s set up behind every word and line. the emotions felt were so vivid, and it’s clear keegan understands the human condition so deeply. the show not tell element works so well here - you see tension and yearning and that specific conundrum many of us find ourselves in - where we yearn for justice but don’t have the tools to fight for it ourselves.
as my friend megan pointed in her review, the book really dives into the dynamics of human beings and oppression happening on our front doors. we attempt to do what we can, but often the powers that be prevent any action we do from becoming meaningful. we see this in the allegory of the nuns at the church, and how the main protagonist is consistently warned not to dabble too much into what’s happening, as the influence of the nuns and religion are everywhere. we see it with the way he is paid excessively to keep silent and stop bothering - a feat his wife pushes him on a lot.
we see how being raised in desperate circumstances both fuels your desire for justice and your paranoia at facing the consequences of facing its consequences. by example, we see the protagonist constantly relate to the girls in the covenant - subject to the way he was raised, and it’s this that has him act the way he does in the end. but we also see the benefits he would experience by staying shut up - and how on the account of his background he finds himself at diametrical odds with the perspective of his wife , who sees the covenant as a safe haven for these girls. it touches upon how class and upbringing can shift relationships and perspectives. it also is one of the most honest depictions of working class life, that isn’t marred by over-tragic language. it’s able to beautifully capture the desperation that comes with being working class whilst dropping the over tragedy inducing language used in most other works. as someone who was raised in very similar circumstances, and is currently in similar circumstances, it’s quite hard to kind of explain just how much reading this got to me.
the ending was wonderful, and a good tone to end things off. it provides readers with promise; that even amid circumstances where you must look out for your own, there’s individuals and places and people who believe in justice strongly enough that they’ll strive to make the world a better place, be it as minuscule in impact and with as little capital as they have.
all in all, keegan is one to watch out for, i’ve loved this so much. nothing to change my life, but definitely thankful i own this book.
as my friend megan pointed in her review, the book really dives into the dynamics of human beings and oppression happening on our front doors. we attempt to do what we can, but often the powers that be prevent any action we do from becoming meaningful. we see this in the allegory of the nuns at the church, and how the main protagonist is consistently warned not to dabble too much into what’s happening, as the influence of the nuns and religion are everywhere. we see it with the way he is paid excessively to keep silent and stop bothering - a feat his wife pushes him on a lot.
we see how being raised in desperate circumstances both fuels your desire for justice and your paranoia at facing the consequences of facing its consequences. by example, we see the protagonist constantly relate to the girls in the covenant - subject to the way he was raised, and it’s this that has him act the way he does in the end. but we also see the benefits he would experience by staying shut up - and how on the account of his background he finds himself at diametrical odds with the perspective of his wife , who sees the covenant as a safe haven for these girls. it touches upon how class and upbringing can shift relationships and perspectives. it also is one of the most honest depictions of working class life, that isn’t marred by over-tragic language. it’s able to beautifully capture the desperation that comes with being working class whilst dropping the over tragedy inducing language used in most other works. as someone who was raised in very similar circumstances, and is currently in similar circumstances, it’s quite hard to kind of explain just how much reading this got to me.
the ending was wonderful, and a good tone to end things off. it provides readers with promise; that even amid circumstances where you must look out for your own, there’s individuals and places and people who believe in justice strongly enough that they’ll strive to make the world a better place, be it as minuscule in impact and with as little capital as they have.
all in all, keegan is one to watch out for, i’ve loved this so much. nothing to change my life, but definitely thankful i own this book.