Georgia Kostopoulou

 

In this book we have three different stories, three stories that have common ground in terms of people’s behavior. These three short stories, shorter than “Small Things Like These” and “Foster” are focused on the dynamics between man and woman, male and female, provoking the reader to think deeper in every single case and reflect on today’s society. I think it’s safe to say that Claire Keegan is now one of my favourite authors. The wonders she does with short length stories like these, is incredible. With her simple yet appealing writing style,  she puts a subject under her microscope and brings it forward enough for everyone to see.

 

The first story of this book is the one that we read in the title, “So Late in the Day”. Here we meet Cathal, who faces a long weekend as his mind agitates over a woman with whom he could have spent his life, had he behaved differently. We get to know about him and about the fact that he was about to get married, but his bride-to-be abandoned him. As the story progresses and we g0 through Cathal’s memories of their lives together, we realize that he is not the innocent person we’d thought him to be, in the beginning of the story. We meet him at the office, where he tries to avoid everyone. He goes in such length so as to drink his coffee without sugar, only so that he does not have to engage in conversation with a colleague. He doesn’t want to be pitied. But when his younger in age boss, tells him to leave early for the day, he seizes the opportunity and runs through the stairs in a hurry.

Soon we get to know how he met Sabine and how their relationship evolved. As he reflects on their relationship, we can see what he did wrong and that’s when he realizes too, that if he was a better person towards Sabine, he would not have lost her. They would still be together. But he was acting like his father and like any other man, thinking only about himself.

We only see Cathal’s view on this one and we meet Sabine only through his eyes and the dialogs he recalls. But even that is enough. It is clear that by the end of the story, the hero realizes that his behaviour towards women is what cost him his loneliness.

 

The second story is called “The Long and Painful Death” and this time the protagonist is a woman. she is an author that decides to live for a few days that the Irish House that the German author Heinrich Böll used to live on Achill Island. There, enjoying the same view as the great author had enjoyed in the past, she is determined to focus and progress on her story. However, her plans are being interrupted by a man who, German as he is, believes he has a better reason to be in Böll’s cottage, than that woman ever would. Better yet, because he is a man! He kind of invites himself to visit the cottage at a time that suites him best, but is rather uncomfortable for the woman. His visit is set for the middle of her day, when should would have been writing for hours. So it makes sense that she is rather irritated by this visit, going to some length to be hospitable and polite, only for the visitor to think himself entitled to all she had to give up or prepare for his visit.

It’s a very good example of a case where men believe themselves to be better or superior to women. The have certain expectations and when the women try to meet them out of politeness, they get scolded. I also really enjoyed the landscape as Keegan described it in this story. It made me feel I was actually there.

 

The third and last story in this book is called “Antarctica”. This one is the darkest of the three stores in the book and one for which I cannot say much, so as to avoid spoilers. In this story, a married woman plans a weekend trip in the city in order to buy Christmas gifts for the family. At least this is how she justifies the trip to the city. What she really want to to, is to experience how it feels to sleep with a man, other than her husband. What started as a mere curiosity ends up really badly. The story is short, shorter than tge previous two, however, the feelings it evokes are strong.

Thank you to NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.