I read this several months ago but it has stuck with me. A short and almost circumspect meditation on the difference that our choices make, and bravery in those choices.
The setting is Ireland in 1985, in the weeks leading up to Christmas (making it a very timely read for RIGHT NOW, if you are looking for something!)
Bill Furlong is a hard working a coal merchant and devoted to his family. While delivering an order to a convent, Bill discovers something – a secret that turns out to be not much of a secret, that has repercussions for his own family as well as the entire community of his small Irish town. He must decide what to do. Much of the book is him deciding, searching, thinking, talking, to figure out what the morally upright choice is, and what it will cost.
Like I said, this book still lives in my head. There are some scenes so subtle they are almost passive, but they are keen and raw and true. It’s plainspoken but deeply felt and carefully crafted. Bill is such a lovingly drawn character, and his internal philosophizing so true to life. I cannot recommend this book enough. Give it to all your friends for Christmas!