Small Things Like These (Oprah's Book Club)

"Small Things Like These" is a brief yet impactful novella set in a small Irish town during the lead-up to Christmas. The story, set in the mid-80s, follows Bill Furlong, a coal and timber delivery man who navigates cold, dreary days while reflecting on his life and the kindness that shaped his fate. Bill's love for his wife and five daughters is central to the narrative, and his awareness of past struggles influences his compassionate choices. Though the book is short, every beautifully crafted word offers poignant insights, tackling a troubling period in Irish history. Overall, "Small Things Like These" is a compelling read brimming with love, kindness, and hope.

Lesa's recommendation. Set in an Irish town. Connects to the Catholic laundries for single mothers. A quick read.

Keegan is primarily a short story writer, and this novella showcases her surgical precision. A spare accounting of the moral dilemma faced by an Irish tradesman and father in the mid 80s, Small Things Like These efficiently paints its small town scene and illustrates its characters’ daily lives. Ultimately I thought the moral quandary could have been explored more deeply by centering a more conflicted character, but this book made me want to read more by this author.

How will a man measure the cost of saving an abused young woman when the power of an institution has hushed the voice of so many for so long? Threats of reprisals, loss of one’s place in the community, relationships, business that supports a family of seven. Where is the line between what one owes to the oppressed and what one must ask himself, his family, to suffer for breaking a pattern of tacit collusion, for coming to the aid of those with no voice? He had found joy in the small things his young girls did, proud that they were his, lucky, he said. But his life was losing meaning as he measured his safe, patterned days. The fitting in, keeping one’s head down. Memories of his own reprieve, the one soul who saved him and his mother echoed the debt he owned to others like him, weaker others who needed the help of someone with a stiff moral spine. This story is a challenge to all of us at a time when kindness, bravery, and self sacrifice are so desperately needed.

Small Things Like These made me sit with deep sadness, not because a character I love dies, suffers, or is hurt by horrific circumstances and people, but because it made me reflect on all the small things — the small ways I could have shown kindness or used my voice — that I instead found easy to ignore and remain silent. It’s a moving story about the power of kindness in a world weighed down by silence and complicity. Through Bill Furlong, an ordinary man living a simple life, Claire Keegan shows us how even the smallest acts of decency can ripple into something transformative. As Bill faces a moment of moral reckoning, we see how kindness isn’t always easy—it requires courage, especially when it challenges what society has come to accept as “normal.” Keegan’s writing captures these moments with such grace that it feels like you’re holding your breath, waiting for his next step. What makes this book truly unforgettable is how it shines a light on the everyday injustices we often overlook or rationalize. Keegan reminds us that turning away, even when everyone else does, comes at a cost to our humanity. Bill’s quiet bravery is a call to action, encouraging us to choose what’s right, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. This short, stunning story is an example of how much can be said in so few words—and how much change a single person can inspire.