SO LATE IN THE DAY, a triptych of one recent and two older stories, serves as a good introduction to Claire Keegan
Her spare but powerful stories reward repeat readings.
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men
By Claire Keegan
Grove Press: November 14, 2023
128 pages, $20.00
This mini-collection of three long stories should please fans of Claire Keegan who are clamoring for more of her distinctive work. The title story was published in The New Yorker in February 2022 and is the subject of a recent TNY podcast in which George Saunders analyzes what makes it a truly great story. https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fiction/george-saunders-reads-claire-keegan
“So Late in the Day” introduces us to Cathal, working in his office, but distracted by some recent event, which his co-workers appear to know about. But everyone maintains a “stiff upper lip” and proceeds as usual. Keegan slowly reveals the source of his preoccupation and pain, performing a surgical dissection of a complex relationship.
The other two stories are from earlier collections. In “The Long and Painful Death” (from Walk the Blue Fields, 2008), a writer receives a retreat in Heinrich Boll’s former cottage on the Irish coast but has trouble getting to work. A visit from an opinionated German academic disturbs her peace and serves as the catalyst for her writing.
“Antarctica,” the title story of Keegan’s 2001 collection, follows a married woman as she takes a weekend trip to shop and enjoy the thrill of taking a lover. But things do not turn out quite as she’d planned. Days after reading it, I am still haunted by the ending.
Keegan’s placid, elegant prose is a contrast to the stormy inner lives of her characters. She maintains tension and a sense of mystery as she carefully exposes the truth about these three “relationships.” Across 128 pages, she never makes a misstep in her prose or storytelling craft. Each story is a near-flawless diamond that rewards examination from many angles. If you haven’t read Small Things Like These or Foster, put them at the top of your TBR list.