Mini Review: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

5*****
Though this is a short book, I know it will be one that will linger with me for some time to come as one of the best books I read this year. It packs a quiet kind of power, which is rare and reminds me a bit of Maggie O'Farrell or Kazuo Ishiguro. The plot is minimal and yet profound, the character of Bill so beautifully drawn out, I believed he was real. The ultimate message I was left with, as I turned the final page, was that showing compassion and doing what you know in your heart is right, is the path forward, even if it can be difficult; even if the consequences could bring hardship. Of course, it is easy to find this message, not always easy to practice it. I write this review on the day of the US midterm election, when doing what is right, even if, for some, it seems difficult, is paramount.
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