By Claire Keegan
- Pub Date: 2010 in Ireland; 2022 in U.S.
- Where I bought this book: Roebling Books, Covington, Ky.
- Why I bought this book: I read her novella, Small Things Like These, and then found this one
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Keegan's writing is crisp, memorable, and puts one in a time and place, in this case, 1981 Ireland. Her stories are good hearted, but with her being Irish, always have a sense of foreboding.
Perhaps that's why I found the ending a bit confusing and worrisome. I couldn't tell if everything was as it seemed, or a metaphor for the hardness and sadness of rural Irish life.
The story concerns a young girl, perhaps 9 or 10. She has a troubled home life in a large family, with her father overbearing and a drinker, and her mother pregnant again. She is sent to live with the Kinsellas for the summer.
Keegan's lyrical writing is on display as the girl goes to bed the first night at the Kinsellas.
I think of my sisters who will not yet be in bed. They will have thrown their clay buns against the gable wall of the outhouse, and when the rain comes, the clay will soften and turn to mud. Everything changes to something else, turns into some version of what it was before.
The Kinsellas are kind and loving, treating the girl with love, dignity and respect. They teach her about home and the farm, showing her she is accepted and, perhaps, loved. One time, Mr. Kinsella takes her down to the sea, showing her the lights across the water. When they arrived, two lights were blinking. As they leave, he points out a third, steady light shining between them.
Yet, the heart of the story shows something is up. This being a short story, we learn is quickly, and the sense of foreboding sinks in. But Keegan handles it gently, although the ending, like an Irish landscape, is a bit hazy.
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