Foster

Irish writer Claire Keegan writes stories like Johannes Vermeer painted paintings: interior scenes, perfectly drawn, with far more going on than what first meets the eye. Whether you’re reading a Keegan novel or standing before “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” when you finish and walk away you simply say, “Yes.” I discovered this when I read Keegan’s “Small Things Like These,” the story of a coal hauler doing his regular delivery at a convent when he discovers a young girl shivering outside and discovers he has walked into something else entirely. Keegan moves comfortably into her characters’ skins, and the reader becomes almost one with the story. In Keegan’s short novel Foster, a young girl doesn’t entirely understand what is happening when her father brings her to the home of an older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kinsella. The girl’s mother is in the final months of pregnancy, the house is already full of children, and the family has the opportunity to park her with a childless couple. The girl discovers a life very different from her own, a life of regular baths, daily changes of clothes, trips to get ice cream, and a couple who love her from the moment she walks in their door. She also discovers something of a mystery, like why she’s initially given the clothes of a boy. And there’s something about the well from which water is drawn. In the day-to-day life of this couple and the girl, the story unfolds. Gradually she discovers how to live a different life, and she will soon come to understand what happened in the family. The story unfolds perfectly; Keegan is one gifted storyteller. Keegan is best known for her short stories, which have appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, Granta, Best American Short Stories, and The Paris Review, among others. Her writing has won numerous awards and recognitions, including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the William Trevor Prize, and several short story awards. She studied English and political science at Loyola University in New Orleans, received a M.S. degree in creative writing at the University of Wales, and a M.Phil degree from Trinity College Dublin. She lives in rural Ireland. I didn’t know if I could like a Keegan story better than I liked “Small These Like These,” but “Foster” dispelled any doubts I had. From beginning to end, it’s a story of compassion, understanding, and what makes us human.

What a lovely, sad story. I wish it had gone on so I could see what happens to her next.

This is a quick read, but it is well written and will stay with me for a while. So much of the story seems to be a simple telling of the life of a girl taken to stay with an aunt and uncle, escaping her impoverished life with her family for a short time, but there is so much meaning within the simple story that you can’t help but connect deeply with the characters. The ending is abrupt and I wasn’t ready for it, but it is thought-provoking and brings into focus all that has gone before it. I recommend this book.

I know what I believe happens. This is a book I will carry with me. It changed me inside. Read it!

I recently discovered writer Claire Keegan after borrowing a copy of her latest book, "Small Things Like These," from my local library. I read the book, and then promptly read it again. I read it twice for two reasons - first, I was utterly captivated by her concise yet rich writing-style, by the character of Bill Furlong and his wrestling with his own morality, and by the simple (yet not so simple) storyline. Second, as an American reader, I found I was able to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the text on my second go due to some of the Irish sayings, terms, and ways of speaking (for e.g., the way they state a question without seeming to ask it directly). I adored the book, and my appreciation deepened over the course of my second read. I went on to purchase "Foster" right way (and no, I'm not one to typically pay hardcover prices, but I couldn't stop myself. Plus the cover is beautiful). Again, I was astounded. While I believe "Small Things Like These" is the better of the two, I was captivated by the storyline of the young girl who encounters love and care for the first time (and don't all children need it!), by the complexity of her experience, and of the foster couple's own heartbreaking loss. It is a masterfully told story, particularly through the eyes of a child. I am a prolific reader, and I rarely come across authors who grip me like Claire Keegan has managed to in these books. Her words are distilled to a level of perfection that is so very rare, so very beautiful.

I typically love her books, but this one was just okay.

2/3 of the way through, realized I'd read it before. Short, easy read. You'll need a hanky.

I loved reading “Foster.” I wish it was longer so I could follow the story more! So peaceful! You won’t regret reading it!

Keegan is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is crystalline...clear, sparkling and beautiful. She creates whole worlds with her words. This novella (not a novel) is wondrous, but entirely too short. I actually cried out when I came to the ending: I wanted it to go on and on. I eagerly await the day when Keegan will attempt a full-length novel.

Small and perfectly balanced. So beautifully observed. She really is an extraordinary writer. Such a gift. I will carry the shadow of this book around in a soft crevice of my mind for a long while.

Una novela muy bonita y bien escrita

Claire Keegan writes with a sense of ease, that a reader can make out from the first sentence. There is no sense of urgency or hurry to her craft. She gives it time, gives time to words, and to the sentences to breathe. Her characters linger, even loiter with their thoughts – consequential or not, doesn’t matter – they ponder nonetheless. Their emotions are not spelled out every single time. At one point, Mr. Kinsella tells the child in the book, ‘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.’ And this to me made so much sense. Keegan writes with a self-confidence that is unassuming and rare, just like two of my other favourite writers, Anita Desai and Ann Patchett. What is Foster about? Well, it is about what the title says, a young girl comes to live with the Kinsellas, during a hot Irish summer, and how her life changes, as she begins to understand and learn a new way of living, filled with emotions, the daily routine, and small acts of kindness. It is a book about family, and what we perhaps do not understand, till we do. In this short novelette of 90 pages, Keegan gives us the world of a child, and two adults trying to cope with living, till they find comfort in each other. Foster is a book I will not stop recommending. Read it for its beauty, its slowness, its tenderness, and above all its eye for empathy and kindness in the world. Read it for its grace in the prose, and for all the silences it holds.

Very enjoyable and wise writing