Small Things Like These

An Oprah’s Book Club Selection

Set in a small Irish town in the 1980s, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is a luminous, quietly devastating novella about one man’s moral awakening — and the courage it takes to do what is right when the world around you looks away.

Selected by Oprah’s Book Club and adapted into a major film starring Cillian Murphy, this compact masterpiece has moved readers around the world with its spare, exquisite prose and its profound meditation on conscience, community, and the cost of silence.

About the Story

It is Christmas 1985. Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five, is going about his deliveries when he makes a discovery that forces him to confront the dark truth at the heart of his town — and decide what kind of man he wants to be. In fewer than 120 pages, Keegan delivers a story of extraordinary emotional power.

Why This Book Is Extraordinary

• A masterclass in restrained, precise literary prose
• Explores themes of moral courage, complicity, and the power of small acts of kindness
• An Oprah’s Book Club selection — a mark of exceptional storytelling
• Adapted into a critically acclaimed film starring Cillian Murphy
• Perfect for book clubs, literary fiction lovers, and anyone who believes in the power of doing good

“A book that will stay with you long after the last page.” — A story about the small things that make us who we are.