It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
This book has been on my radar for a little while so I decided to jump in a few nights ago. This book is lovely, I loved the descriptions of Furlongs work day, his home life. Honestly the book was set in 1985, but it gave off feels of being able to be set anytime from then to now. Claire Keegan writes with such beauty, I could feel myself walking along through the snowy streets, feel the cold, and feel the sense of community in their little town.
The story is short but packs a punch, and the end made me feel quite happy and sad at the same time. It’s hard to believe the things that were going on weren’t so long ago, in fact the year I was born, 1985.
No wonder it was shortlisted for awards, and won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.
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