As with the other writing I have experienced of Keegan, her prose is ethereal. Furlough is a coal merchant in 1980’s Ireland and comes face to face with a decision that will put him at odds with his complicit neighbors but attempts to correct one of thousands of wrongs. He is a father to daughters and the son of a single mother and recognizes Ireland’s unChristian treatment of women who find themselves in the family way. Very short novel and was turned into a movie partially produced by Cillian Murphy - this story tugs at a much larger thread that is the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. Careful though - this true Irish history will break your heart. Keegan paints a poignant picture Ireland through words only. ❤️