48 pages • 1 hour read
Claire KeeganSmall Things Like These
Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of gender discrimination and child abuse.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What did you make of Keegan’s quiet, restrained style? Did the style enhance your appreciation of the story or leave you wanting more detail?
2. Have you read Keegan’s other novel, Foster? How does it compare to Small Things Like These?
3. Discuss the 1980s Irish setting of the story. Were you surprised the story is modern given the main storyline?
4. Did the ambiguous ending leave you hopeful or frustrated with the lack of closure? Why do you think Keegan chose to end the novel this way?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with personal experiences.
1. Have you ever faced a moral dilemma similar to Bill Furlong’s, where doing the right thing comes with personal risks? How did you handle it, and did the story make you reflect on your situation differently?
2. How did you feel about the novel’s portrayal of religion? What role does religion play in the lives of various characters, and how does this compare to your own experience (or those of people you know)?
3. Reflect on the novel’s portrayal of the pitfalls of living in a close-knit community. Can you relate to Bill and his family’s experience in their religious and social circles?
4. What type of world does Bill dream of living in? Are his notions of creating a good life for Sarah and others like her too idealistic? Why?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. Discuss the novel’s portrayal of the influence of the Irish Catholic Church and its complicity in crimes against vulnerable women and children in the Magdalena laundries. Does the novel suggest that the problem was unique to this particular time and place, or is it posing a more systemic critique?
2. How does the story reflect the cultural pressures of the time—e.g., toward silence and conformity? Are those same pressures still present in societies today?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. How does Keegan build tension around Bill’s decision to act? What literary techniques are used to express his internal conflict?
2. Discuss the duality inherent in the Mother Superior’s character as a person of faith and a figure of considerable power in the village.
3. How does Keegan explore the theme of economic hardship in her descriptions of the setting? How does this contribute to the novel’s overall meaning?
4. Analyze the Christmas motif throughout the story. Discuss Bill’s connection to A Christmas Carol and the parallels between Dickens’s novella and this novel.
5. What does the wall between the convent and the school symbolize?
6. Discuss how Bill’s history and relationship with his mother affect his choices in the present.
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. View the 2024 movie adaptation, with Cillian Murphy playing Bill. What choices did the director and screenwriter make in adapting the story for the screen? Would you have made similar decisions?
2. Imagine a less ambiguous ending to the novel. Predict what will happen to Bill and his family due to his intervention.
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