Small Town & Rural | Book Chatter

Small Things Like These
By Claire Keegan
Grove Press, #9780802158741, November 2021, 128 pp.

The Short of It:

Brief, but powerful.

The Rest of It:

“It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.” ~ the publisher

This is a fictional account of an actual event in history when fallen young girls were set to convents in Ireland. Disguised as a home for girls, it was actually a cruel, abusive place called a Magdalen laundry. These women often lost their babies. The numbers of children lost, in the thousands.

In this story, Bill delivers coal to the convent and discovers a young girl, locked away. She begs for help. He’s not sure how to respond and can’t under watchful eyes. So he returns home, to his wife and five daughters as they prepare for the Christmas holiday.

There’s cake making. Gift wrapping, the merry sounds of a happy family but Bill cannot forget that young girl at the convent. He mentions it to his wife Eileen and she reminds him that the convent is very good to them. They pay on time and often include a Christmas bonus, which they did. She tells him to forget the incident. That everyone knows what goes on there but that it’s none of their business.

This doesn’t sit well with Bill. His mind keeps going back to that young girl, her name is Sarah and as he gazes upon his own girls, he is unwilling to let it go.

This is a marvelous read. Short. Very short. I had no idea how short it was when I was looking for a book to read on Hoopla. A mere 128 pages but each page is so rich with detail. There are no extra words here. Every word bears weight. The heavy story line against the joys of Christmas is a stark juxtaposition but it works so well here. As brief as it is, it would be a good discussion book for a club.

Recommend. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

All the Colors of the Dark
By Chris Whitaker
Crown, 9780593798874, June 2024, 608 pp.

The Short of It:

A slow burn, page turner.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

In the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges–Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. ~ from the publisher

I was first introduced to Whitaker’s writing when I read We Begin at the End. Oh boy, I sure loved that book. I loved the characters, the story, all of it. So when I heard that Whitaker had another book out, I jumped at the chance to read it. All the Colors of the Dark is very similar in tone. A young feisty protagonist, an officer of the law, and a broken and flawed “do gooder” raised by a single mom battling addictions. When a wealthy local girl goes missing, Monta Clare’s very own Patch the Pirate comes to her aid. Pirate? Because Patch is missing an eye and oddly enough, the loss of an eye does not prevent him from seeing all that is around him. The danger, the sad reality of the hand he was dealt, and the ability to paint these girls, the missing girls.

As Patch becomes obsessed with these missing girls, because after the local girl, there are many others. He does his part by painting them and posting them in an attempt to bring awareness to the community but also as a means of closure because he, too, has a survival story to tell and it haunts him.

Saint, Patch’s good friend, sees in him someone she could absolutely love, but Patch has his own battles to fight. What he’s experienced will never leave him. As much as Saint and her loving Grandmother look out for him, he is a wayward soul, on his own path to redemption. You know how a feral cat is? Patch is like that. Lovable but doesn’t know how to receive love.

All the Colors of the Dark is a mystery at its heart. Who is the kidnapper? There are a lot of twists and surprises, which I loved. It DID remind me of a book I read recently, The Return of Ellie Black. If you liked Ellie Black then you will also enjoy All the Colors of the Dark.

Here’s the thing with Whitaker, his stories are so much more than what they first appear to be. This book can be considered a coming of age story, a small town gem of storytelling really. It will tug at your heart and you will find yourself reading late into the night. I pulled my reading light out so many times while reading this one. The best time to read it was in bed, in a dark room. I did not want to leave these characters.

Highly recommend. It will be on my list of faves at the end of the year.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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