This was a wonderful book, short to read ( 63 pages as an ebook ), and it certainly packed a punch.

Set in a small town in Ireland in 1985, it centres around Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man. It’s Christmas week and one morning delivering coal to the local convent he’s confronted by a young woman locked in the coal room. Faced with a plausible explanation by the nuns he leaves, but is troubled. Confronted by his own past, the state of the woman bothers him. His eyes are also opened by the silent complicity of the town turning a blind eye to the goings on at the Convent.

The writing is sublime and the author does a wonderful job of placing us into the gloom of the economic woes of the time, painting a picture of the small town. We are taken into the everyday of Bill’s life as father of five girls and husband to pragmatic Eileen. But more importantly, the reader is also placed into Bill’s dilemma. What should he do? Should he probe further or trust his instincts?

The conversation with Eileen is illuminating.

“Where does thinking get us?” she said. “All thinking does is bring you down.” She was touching the little pearly buttons on her nightdress, agitated. “If you want to get on in life, there’s things you have to ignore, so you can keep on.”

I loved this one and it has certainly stayed with me. I’m not surprised it was shortlisted for the Booker in 2022.

Do yourself a favour and check this one out.