novel by Claire Keegan, Little things like theseis Oprah Winfrey’s latest book club pick and has plenty to talk about. The Irish author spoke with Winfrey on Dec. 3 as part of the TV personality’s latest venture, The Oprah Podcast. The show features conversations between Winfrey and authors selected as part of her book club. The novel follows Bill Furlong, a coal merchant who struggles with the morality of his small Irish town after he meets a woman from the Magdalene laundromat in 1985. The institution, run by the Catholic Church, forced women into unpaid labor as punishment for violating the moral code. knew in the laundries,” Keegan said of writing the novel. “It was all over the news in Ireland for a long time. And I think the question I was interested in was why people didn’t do anything when the police knew, the social workers knew and the parents knew .The Catholic Church knew, the priests knew, the nuns knew, and nobody did anything.”
‘Small Things Like These’ by Claire Keegan.
Grove Press
“I couldn’t help but ask a question as I was writing,” added Keegan. “Really, I think the book answers the question I asked.”
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The episode also featured a guest appearance by Maureen Sullivan, who was sent to the Magdalene Laundry when she was 12 after she told a teacher that her stepfather had physically and sexually abused her. Sullivan published her memoir about her experiences in 2023, titled The girl in the tunneland Keegan talked about her feelings about her own novel empowering women to step forward. “I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to write a book and to be heard and speak about misogynistic Ireland,” Keegan said. “Because one of the things I know about a misogynist is that he wants to shut you up. Verbally and physically.”
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “In Maureen’s case, she was obviously locked up,” Keegan added. “It was wonderful to be able to come out on the other side of that and use my voice and use my power to be able to say something.”
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Claire Keegan 2024
Ulrich Perrey/image alliance via Getty
New episodes of the Book Club podcast are presented by Starbucks. Interviews with the author were recorded in Starbucks cafes and paired with a special drink (Little things like thesethe drink contains Starbucks’ Christmas blend). The novel has also been adapted into a film starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Keegan is also an acclaimed book author Foster and So late in the day. But for readers to come Little things for the first time, Keegan said she doesn’t have one particular message she hopes people will take away.
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“I think reading a book is a really personal thing,” the author said. “Whatever you take away from that, that’s fine … Maybe there were smarter ways to do what he did. Maybe it’s a love story. Maybe it’s a story about the breakup of a marriage. Maybe it’s a story about a man who breaks.” “Whatever it is, that’s fine, because I think your response to the book is deeply personal and shouldn’t be interfered with,” Keegan added. “I think the reader finishes the book.”
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Source: HIS Education