Reading Ireland Month 2023 has led me to the short stories by Claire Keegan. I’m excited for this ‘new discovery’. Keegan’s is the kind of writing I admire, sparse but telling, simple prose revealing deep emotional undercurrents.
“Foster” the short story written by Keegan first appeared in The New Yorker. It was later published as a standalone work in book form in 2010. Keegan in an interview had stressed that it was not a novella but a long short story. The book cover in the photo is a new edition that came out in 2022.
The story is written from the point of view of a young girl from an impoverished family, both materially and emotionally. She is sent far away to stay with her mother’s sister Edna and her husband John Kinsella for the summer to lift the burden off her busy mother who has a house full of children and one more expecting. The Kinsellas are childless and live in a farm house in rural Wexford county.
The age of the girl isn’t mentioned, most probably around eight or nine. Interesting too that her name isn’t mentioned except just a few times, Petal, maybe giving a sense of the neglect she has been having all her young life. The title is ironic, I find, for the word foster often comes in contradiction in a lesser sense, or secondary, to natural birth parents. But here during her short stay at the Kinsellas, the girl has made new discoveries she has not experienced before, what it means to be loved and cared for, and begins to learn kindness and self-worth. Moreover, she is also exposed to the complexity and the dark range in the adult world, the loss and pain that come with life.
Foster has been adapted into film with the new title The Quiet Girl. It is Ireland’s official entry to the 95thAcademy Awards held this past Sunday, a nominee in the Best International Feature category, with its language being Irish (Gaelic). I still haven’t the chance to watch it, now a must-see movie for me. Hopefully I can watch it soon before the Reading Ireland event ends.
When I read “Foster”, I noticed that Keegan’s style is an exemplar of that writing advice we hear often: show, not tell. In some passages, Keegan instills in my mind visuals like watching a scene in a good film, actions and nuanced expressions speak clearly in depicting the characters with no need for dialogues. A couple of examples:
Here’s when the girl and his father whom she calls Da have a meal with the Kinsellas after he has dropped her off before heading right back home:
When we sit in at the table, Da reaches for the beetroot. He doesn’t use the little serving fork but pitches it onto the plate with his own. It stains the pink ham, bleeds.
Here’s another example, when Edna brings into her house some fresh rhubarb stalks from her garden for the girl’s father to bring home:
My father takes the rhubarb from her, but it is awkward as a baby in his arms. A stalk falls to the floor and then another. He waits for her to pick it up, to hand it to him. She waits for him to do it. Neither one of them will budge. In the end, it’s Kinsella who stoops to lift it.
‘There now,’ he says.
Just this short description has revealed the character and the relational dynamics among the three adults. Furthermore, these two passages also tell much about the girl, deep within her reticence, she is observant, precocious, and the reader can assume too that she must be eager to experience what’s waiting for her in the days ahead living with these two ‘foster parents’ for the summer.
The Kinsellas hold a family secret, one that’s heavy in their heart and mind, albeit unspoken. Again, Keegan’s writing comes through with subtle yet powerful revealing. The girl learns of their past from a nosy neighbour, and that is a moment of awakening for her. What happens later in the climax I will not spoil anyone’s reading pleasure. However, John Kinsella’s kind words to her observing her quiet demeanour earlier in the story, we know the girl will keep close to her heart for a long time:
‘You don’t ever have to say anything,’ he says. ‘Always remember that as a thing you need never do. Many’s the man lost much just because he missed a perfect opportunity to say nothing.
As she mulls over the Kinsella’s hidden past, and her own experience while staying with them, she is now empowered by love and loyalty to keep silent that which needs to be kept in confidence. The girl might be reticent, but the single word she utters ending the story is most poignant and heart-wrenching. Again, Keegan has used the minimal to bring her readers to the depths of pathos and meaning.
~ ~ ~ ~ Ripples
This is my second post in participation in the Reading Ireland Month hosted by Cathy 746 Books.
Previous post: The Banshees of Inisherin Movie Review
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Ripple Effects 
This quotation alone intrigues me enough put the book on my list: “‘You don’t ever have to say anything,’ he says. ‘Always remember that as a thing you need never do. Many’s the man lost much just because he missed a perfect opportunity to say nothing.” Isn’t that just the truth!
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One of the many quotables in the story… marvellous writing. You’ll enjoy reading it.
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I love this book, much more than Small Things Like These – I think she is great at leaving spaces in the story for the reader to add their own interpretation.
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I’m going to get it !
Just my kind of writing.
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It sounds like a wonderful and beautifully written book. I really don’t care for short stories but this one might be worth it.
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This is in a book format with 128 pages. So, think of it as a thin book then. It is definitely worth it, not only this work but the film adaptation if it’s available to you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the film which is top on my TBW list.
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Thank you, this sounds interesting!
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I’m a bit late to this discussion but yes, both the book and film( “The Quiet Girl”) are wonderous. “Foster” by Claire Keegan is a small story filled with small moments and small gestures, and therein lies its power, I think. As I read it, I found myself tearing up and hurtling back to my own childhood, to who I was and what I really needed but didn’t get. That’s not meant to sound self-pitying at all; it has just taken me a long time( too long) to realize what was missing, what my family was incapable of giving, and how that has affected me throughout my life.
I would think that narrating from a child’s perspective has got to be one of the most daunting challenges for any writer but Keegan makes it look seamless. There are no traces of precociousness, nor sentimentality; just simple, lovely prose. Her young narrator is naive and wise all at once, and the reader feels this with every observation she makes. Keegan captures that heartache many neglected children experience but may not be able to yet accept and articulate.
I am looking forward to reading more of Keegan’s work. I have not read “Small Things Like These” but for those who have and enjoyed it, you might be interested to know that there is apparently a film adaptation in the works with Cillian Murphy starring.
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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comment, Ellen. Indeed, Keegan’s simple prose speaks volumes and paints a character that many of her readers can relate in some ways. Also, thanks so much for letting me know about the adaptation of Small Things like These! So glad to see a great cast is on board too. It’s another astute and moving work by Keegan. I’ve much enjoyed reading it and while reading, a movie showed up in my mind, Philomena (2013) with Judy Dench and Steve Coogan. Looking forward to this film with Cillian Murphy and Ciarán Hinds. Emily Watson is a good choice too for the story.
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Ellen, do check out my review of The Quiet Girl movie if you’re interested, just to compare how the literary is transposed on screen.
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Thank you, Arti, I will definitely check out your review. I haven’t had a chance yet to really look around here. Wow, that is an incredible cast for “Small Things Like These”! So exciting!
Also, you may already know this, but Keegan has a new book coming out in November–“So Late In The Day: Stories Of Women and Men”.
Thank you for replying and sharing your thoughts. Love the name you’ve chosen to give your site–“Ripple Effects”…there must be a poet in you.
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No I didn’t know about her upcoming book. Thanks for the heads up!
Haha, never thought the name of my blog being poetic but I do love poetry. Actually just recently I’d posted some poems by Mary Oliver with my bird photos. Yes, birding and nature photography, book and movie reviews are what you can find here… for over 15 years now. Feel free to explore. So glad you’ve come to visit. 🙂
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Good Morning Arti, I hope it’s ok that I’m reaching out to you yet again but I thought of a book you might like if you haven’t already read it: “Mozart’s Starling” by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. I am reading it now and really enjoying it. I read the author’s “Crow Planet” over a decade ago and found it fascinating. Since you are a birder I thought you might be interested. Also, there is an extraordinary book( really a work of art) that I cannot recommend highly enough: “Bear” by Staffan Gnosspelius is a picture book/graphic novel about depression and the power of unconditional love. Truly a beautiful story. I apologize if you’ve already read and reviewed both or either of these on Good Reads or on your blog. I joined Good Reads briefly-I think I was a member for a grand total of five days-but just decided it wasn’t for me. I recently found and became involved with Shepherd.com and so far I think it’s more what I was looking for. We’ll see. I’m not on any social media and I’m an introvert so I’ve been looking for ways to connect with others who are passionate about books, movies, etc. Anyway, just wanted to mention those two books. Enjoy your day! -Ellen
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Yes, I’ve read “Mozart’s Starling.”Very interesting and I quite enjoyed it. That’s another area of interests of mine, classical music. I’m looking forward to the upcoming movie “Maestro” directed by Bradley Cooper, who plays the titular character Leonard Bernstein. Carey Mulligan (one of my faves) plays his wife.
Thanks for the info on “Bear”. Coincidentally, I’ve just got a graphic novel from the library, “Shortcomings” by Adrian Tomine. I’m not a usual reader of graphic novels but this I want to read cause it’s just been adapted into a movie, a directorial debut of Randall Park, who plays the father in Fresh off the Boat (from a few years back) This is the first time I come across Adrian Tomine… he’s done some New Yorker Magazine covers. Now that makes it more interesting.
Out of curiosity, where are you located?
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Arti, That Carey Mulligan/Bradley Cooper movie does sound interesting. Carey Mulligan is one of my favorites-she’s just incredible in everything I’ve seen of hers. Phenomenal in “Promising Young Woman” and I can’t wait to see what Emerald Fennell writes next. Your bird photography is beautiful. Have you ever thought of submitting to The Sun Magazine? I’m a longtime reader and they always have gorgeous photography, with some of the most striking photos being of birds. Always black and white photography I believe. Oh, another book for you–“What An Owl Knows” by Jennifer Ackerman. It’s in my To Be Read pile. I am currently living in Northern Virginia. Been wanting to move for quite some time though. You are in Canada? I shudder to think what people in other countries must think of the politics/government in the U.S.A. Please know that most of us are disgusted with what’s been happening the last few years. Keep in touch when you can. I’ll continue to check out your blog. So much interesting stuff! –Ellen
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