Short Story Review: So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan

About the Story:

After an uneventful Friday at the Dublin office, Cathal faces into the long weekend and takes the bus home. There, his mind agitates over a woman named Sabine with whom he could have spent his life, had he acted differently. All evening, with only the television and a bottle of champagne for company, thoughts of this woman and others intrude — and the true significance of this particular date is revealed.

From one of the finest writers working today, Keegan’s new story asks if a lack of generosity might ruin what could be between men and women.

Published by Faber

Released September 2023

My Thoughts:

I really like Claire Keegan’s work. I read Small Things Like These earlier this year and loved it, so when I saw she had something new in circulation, I rushed to download an eBook copy and read it immediately during my lunch break at work.

So Late in the Day is a short story, not a novella. It says something about an author when they have a single short story published as a hardback, I think. Keegan really is a quality writer though, quite a master at condensed fiction, be it short stories or novellas, she seems to be able to convey so much with the minimum of words yet the maximum of feeling.

This one is a snapshot of intergenerational misogyny and its effects on a modern relationship. Generosity, or rather, a lack of, is a central theme. The story is set in Ireland, but its relevance to other locations was potent.

I will endeavour to read all of Claire Keegan’s work over the coming months, but paced, so that I don’t devour it all and be left with nothing too soon.