LastRock

“This one was on the list of many of the booksellers’ bestsellers, & a favorite of mine. It’s the story of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant & father of five daughters, in the weeks before Christmas 1985, in County Wexford, Ireland. The way a Keegan story unfolds is like it’s happening to you, with a sense of tension & the suspicion of high stakes. Her prose is crisp & transportive, & full of a mastery of her homeland’s language & context.” — Kenzie Bryant, Vanity Fair ** A Book of the Year in The Times - The New Statesman - Observer - Financial Times - Irish Times - Irish Independent - Times Literary Supplement ** SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CILLIAN MURPHY WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE AND THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE AND THE IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE DALKEY LITERARY AWARDS 'Exquisite.' Damon Galgut 'Masterly.' The Times 'Miraculous.' Herald 'Astonishing.' Colm Tóibín 'Stunning.' Sunday Independent 'Absolutely beautiful.' Douglas Stuart 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. 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. 0The long-awaited new work from the author of Foster, Small Things Like These is an unforgettable story of hope, quiet heroism and tenderness.0'[Claire Keegan] creates luminous effects with spare material, so every line seems to be a lesson in the perfect deployment of both style and emotion.'0Hilary Mantel Title Page Dedication Epigraph 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A Note on the Text Acknowledgements About the Author By the Same Author Copyright An exquisite winter tale of courage - and its cost, set in Catholic Ireland.