So Late in the Day - Claire Keegan

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Author: Claire Keegan

Genre: Short Story
Rating: 4 stars.

A beautiful short story by one of the most intriguing contemporary writers in Ireland, Claire Keegan.

The story begins innocently enough, Cathal is in office and he is evidently upset about something but trying hard to go through the day routinely. You feel sorry for him and hope his day becomes better. As the story progresses, we know more of him, and boy, does that unveiling come as a surprise!

This is such an intelligent story. Usually, within the short story format, writers try to provide enough information so that readers find their experience complete. But Keegan seems to trust in the brain power of her audience. There are hints, there are mini-flashbacks, there are nuances in the thoughts, there are subtleties between the lines. You need to put the whole assortment of clues together, but the clues aren’t straightforward. It is like solving a jigsaw a piece at a time, with the pieces coming in a random order. Once it is complete, it will stun you, but you need to put in the efforts first. I read the whole story in one go, and then read it again in parts to understand how the broken links form a stunning chain.

Loved the smartness of the story and the strong statement it makes on inherent societal misogyny.

This story appeared in the New Yorker magazine in February 2022. I read it through the below link:


The above link also includes an audio version of the story, read by the author herself.

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