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Cover of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Literary Fiction · Free kit

Small Things Like These

Claire Keegan

In the weeks before Christmas 1985, coal merchant Bill Furlong makes his rounds in a small Irish town — until what he finds at the local convent forces him to see what everyone has agreed not to see. A spare, devastating Booker-shortlisted novel about conscience, complicity, and the cost of doing one right thing.

“Was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”

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Reading schedule · Book vote

Small Things Like These Icebreakers

Answer in under 30 seconds. These connect to the book’s themes without spoiling the story.

  1. Personality Reveal

    1. In a hard conversation, are you more likely to speak up immediately — or need a walk first?

  2. Personality Reveal

    2. Do you feel most yourself in a crowded room or on a quiet early-morning errand?

  3. Personality Reveal

    3. When something feels “off,” do you investigate — or tell yourself you’re overthinking?

  4. Funny & Light

    4. What’s the most Irish-winter activity you can name that isn’t complaining about the cold?

  5. Funny & Light

    5. Coal delivery, bakery queue, or church coffee: which small-town ritual would you last longest in?

  6. Funny & Light

    6. If your conscience had a ringtone, what song would it use to interrupt dinner?

  7. Would You Rather

    7. Would you rather be known as kind or as brave?

  8. Would You Rather

    8. Would you rather keep the peace at home or sleep with a clear conscience?

  9. Would You Rather

    9. Would you rather get a warning whispered at the pub or a smile that asks you to stay quiet?

  10. Hot Take

    10. Hot take: “Mind your own business” is how harm survives. Agree or disagree?

  11. Hot Take

    11. Hot take: short books can hit harder than long ones. Defend or destroy.

  12. Hot Take

    12. Hot take: politeness is underrated as a form of power. True or overstated?

  13. Personal Connection

    13. Who modeled quiet courage for you — not speeches, just a choice?

  14. Personal Connection

    14. Have you ever looked away from something because intervening felt costly? What do you wish you’d done?

  15. Personal Connection

    15. What’s a “small thing” someone did for you that changed more than they knew?