Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan

It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him – and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church. This exquisite book was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker and is the winner of the Orwell Prize and The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award. Simply, a masterpiece.