Claire Keegan’s Booker-shortlisted Small Things Like These this year revived the tradition of Christmas short fiction. It’s a deftly done parable about cruelty and kindness in the run-up to Christmas, with actual snow – and tears.
Although Keegan’s novella eventually lost out to Shehan Karunatilaka for the Booker, it perhaps served a greater purpose than prizes: it was a reminder of the value of stories that connect us with our humanity, particularly around this time of year.
It was also a reminder that cultural consumption at Christmas needn’t merely be about overloading on films. There’s much to be said for the quiet refuge from festive overload offered by reading – and there’s much more to reading fiction with a festive theme than just A Christmas Carol. Here are a dozen suggestions:
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (2022)
See above. Bill Furlong is a husband, father and struggling small businessman in a small town in County Wexford in December 1985.
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