Small Things like These by Clare Keegan is a chronological fictional novel set in 1985 in Ne Rose, Ireland. The novel was published in November 2020, and in 2022, the book emerged as the Orwell Prize winner in the political fiction category. Notably, most of Clare Keegan's narratives revolve around families. The protagonist in most of her stories works closely with other characters. Sometimes, aggression, brutality, and profound strings of friendliness characterize most of these families. For instance, in the novel Walk the Blue (2007), the protagonist fears his mother because she does not take anything lightly. In the novel Antarctica (1999) by Keegan, the protagonist describes the trivial family secrets each member tries to hide from one another.
Keegan’s latest novel is Small Things like These, which relates greatly to her previous works. The novel's protagonist is Bill Furlong, a husband, and father to 5 daughters. The novel was set during Christmas in 1985, but the story's setting reminds readers of the violence in Keegan's previous novel, Antarctica (1989). However, Small Things like These shifts focus on the violence directed towards girls in the local convent where Furlong regularly does some of his big deliveries. Furlong meets a girl who asks him to help her escape because the conditions at the convent are unbearable. Consequently, Keegan brings out the primary paradox in the novel because the nuns who should protect the girls and create a conducive environment for them to thrive are doing the contrary. Furlong learns that children at the convent are subjected to child labor, abuse, and mistreatment.
The most difficult task for the protagonist is to choose whether to confront the head of the convent, Sister Carmel, or consider his business deals. Furlong knows that if he confronts the nuns about their inhumane actions, he will lose his supply contract, but in the process, the children in the convent will suffer in silence. Keegan turn's Small Things like These into a human-interest story when he influences Furlong's decision to face the nuns head-on, a decision Eileen opposed from the begging. The novel is poignant and appeals to readers to make the right decisions regardless of the consequences.
