Research for Claire Keegan's Story on the Magdalene Laundries
Updated: Sep 25
I wrote an article for Parisian Phoenix Publishing about the stories we read shedding light on dark realities. Talking about systemic injustice gets the ball rolling on change and it's books like Small Things Like These that show us how empathy and courage make it happen.
Before Bookclub, I did more research about Claire Keegan's story and found informative articles on the Magdalene Laundries:
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Claire Keegan believes that a writer’s voice is shaped by what they read. Here are her 6 book recommendations with a short summary of her thoughts:
Peasants by Anton Chekhov — economic style, light-handedness, and masterly short-story imagination.
Dubliners by James Joyce — classic short story collection tracking diverse perspectives across Dublin, ending with "The Dead”.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy — rural, feminist tragedy about a dairymaid that gripped Keegan during a 1994 winter ferry crossing.
Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor — elegant, humorous, and sharp American short stories exploring human nature.
The Barracks by John McGahern — quiet, understated novel about a marriage featuring one of Keegan's favorite endings in Irish literature.
Regeneration by Pat Barker — powerful World War I historical novel set in a 1917 war hospital.
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My favorite Claire Keegan quotes about Small Things Like These:
Furlong is a quiet, reserved coal merchant who does not waste words. Keegan said that a long narrative "would not have suited his personality.” https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/reading-guide-small-things-like-these-by-claire-keegan
“I do think no story has ever been read properly unless it’s read twice. So it’s a longer book, you see, than you think it is, because it needs to be read twice. Double the pages,” says Keegan, with a laugh.
“And certainly people who were brave and went up against the Catholic Church in this country suffered horribly. So I see Small Things Like These as the story of someone who has stuck a knife in his own life, everything he’s worked for. But that’s just my interpretation. Just because I wrote it doesn’t mean I know what it’s about, and I mean that most sincerely.”
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