One of my goals this year has been to read more short stories though I do not always love them. This collection of there was excellent. I think they would be even better on a reread. All three stories have a relationship between a man and a woman at the center. In the title story “So Late in the Day,” A man might have saved his relationship if only he were different. In “Antarctica,” a married woman wants to have some excitement in her life by having an affair that gives her more than she bargained for.
Keegan's writing style is gripping. She gives so much information and context in these stories while keeping them short stories. If you are not a short story person, these stories are exceptional and may grip you as they did me!
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

I was one among many who found Claire Keegan through her Booker-nominated "Small Things Like These", and then went back and read "Foster", both of which are excellent and made me willing to read just about anything by Keegan. This recent publication is a collection of three stories, two of which were published previously, and thematically centers upon the interactions between women and men.

Like Keegan's other work, these stories are beautifully written and, although brief, each one packs a punch and leaves the reader with a lot to dwell on and consider. Upon a first reading, the title story "So Late in the Day" was my favorite of the three, but Keegan's stories beg for multiple readings.

4 Stars
One Liner: Beautiful!

Claire Keegan could be the only author whose vague and open-ended short stories are my favorite. I love how she writes, be it the setting, emotions, or the inherent intricacies of human nature – good, bad, and ugly. Almost every detail is significant, even when it seems inconsequential.
The writing is poetic, beautiful, and immersive. She knows how to weave magic even with unlikeable characters. The stories are layered and have much to offer to readers. It’s up to us to take what we want and how much we want.

So Late in the Day – 4 Stars
Cathal seems to be having a routine day at the office. However, we see that it is far from an everyday occurrence. As Cathal thinks about the past, Sabine enters, bringing affection, warmth, and love, all of which are missing from his present day. So what happened and why?
The entire story comes from the man’s perspective, providing insight into his upbringing, his flaws, patterns, parallels, and what they did to him. Of course, knowing the author, I knew this wouldn’t have a resolution. But it ends on the right note, confirming what the reader has already guessed. We also see what is likely to happen based on Cathal’s responses to his thoughts or the lack of them.
The story deals with themes like family, relationships, marriage, toxic cycles, love, compromise, priorities, expectations, etc. The subtle and distant tone perfectly presents the characters, leaving the rest for the reader to decide.

The Long and Painful Death – 4 Stars
An unnamed woman, a 39-year-old writer, gets to stay at a popular writing residency for two weeks. She has plans, which have to be adjusted when a German professor wants to see the residence before he leaves. This visit by him ignites a tiny spark, leading to a long and painful death (of a character) but with great satisfaction.
The story is dreamy, languid, and meanders aimlessly, just like the woman. However, none of it goes to waste. She may be a random explorer with half-written ideas for her book, but there’s more to her than hope. Deep inside is her determination, one that runs in parallel to the heroine of a book she’s reading. And when the right trigger flips the switch, she knows to make the most of it.
NGL, I could be missing something deeper (or maybe not). There is loneliness, yearning, determination, judgment, resentment, and much more.

Antarctica – 4 Stars
Bored with her routine life, a married woman and mother of two wonders how it would be to sleep with another man. That December, she decides to find out before it’s too late. Her trip to the city begins well. She even meets a man interested in her. However, she realizes that everything comes at a price, and this one may not leave her with anything.
The story begins with speculation, which soon becomes action. There’s excitement, danger, recklessness, and a sense of freedom. However, the unspoken unease lingers in the background. It becomes more powerful, but not until it is too late to act or react.
The setting suits the theme, Christmasy yet uncomfortable and threatening. The ending is more definite in this story, though it is still open and left to the reader’s interpretation.

To summarize, So Late in the Day is a collection of three short stories dealing with several themes but with a central thread of loneliness, one that you feel so late in the day, left alone with nothing but uncomfortable thoughts for company.
Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

These quiet, elegant stories build slowly until you find yourself having to take a deep breath, unsure where all that sudden emotion came from. The final story is the only slight drawback, feeling a little strained or contrived.

So Late in The Day
Author: Claire Keegan
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023

Claire Keegan can take a few words and string them together into an intense train of thought that sends your mind skittering for coherent thought. In other words, she can write some edgy stories. So Late in The Day is three stories that aren’t similar except that they examine the relationships between men and women. The women are willing to bare it all and be naked before men to experience something profound. The men are mainly controlling, uncomfortable, and possessive. The writing, as always, is spectacular, and yet this left me feeling a bit queasy. Loneliness, for any of us, can be mood-altering. #NetGalley #ClaireKeegan #Ireland #selfishness #men #women #relationships #shortstories #novellas #relationship #dynamics #loneliness @grove_street_press #SoLateInTheDay @netgalley #Grovepress
☘️

I received a complimentary copy of this ARC from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Grove Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: November 14, 2023.
☘️

#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader #reviewer

I loved the three stories in this brief collection. Claire Keegan captures humanity beautifully in each of her books, and her skill shines in the short story format. I particularly liked the last two stories about women and their agency.

I became acquainted with Keegan last year when I read (and adored) Small Things Like These and Foster. I approached this short story collection with great anticipation. However, I couldn’t connect with them in the same way I connected with her two previous novellas. While well written and executed, these three short stories are dismal, dreary, and depressing in comparison. I can see that Keegan’s fans will admire her craft, but the content and mood of these stories were not to my taste. If you haven’t read Small Things or Foster, I’d start there! Keegan is a brilliant writer and I eagerly anticipate her next work.

Thanks #Netgalley @GroveAtlantic for a complimentary eARC upon my request. All opinions are my own.

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan is a collection of short stories which centre around misogyny and the dynamics between women and men in a patriarchal society. This collection contains three stories titled So Late in the Day, The Long and Painful Death, and Antarctica.

All of these stories were fantastic but I think my favourite was Antarctica... that ending!!! Claire Keegan’s writing is quiet and concise yet beautifully descriptive and impactful. I can’t wait to read more of her work in the future!

The power of Keegan's stories remains in their subtlety. Her concentrated and compact prose makes the reader aware of even the most subtle discontent in the psychology of her characters. Though she is economic in her language and uses no melodrama to augment her conflicts, her stories are sharp and insightful character studies that result in a lasting impact on her readers' minds.

I do tend to like slice of life stories and this author had been on my list of authors to try out for a while, so I jumped at the chance of reading this collection of three short stories. They left me with mixed feelings.

On one hand, I thought they were well written and they did wet my appetite for the author’s writing. On the other hand I feel like they just did not give me enough substance. It kind of felt like these were writing exercises more than anything.

It was interesting being in the heads of these three characters, but the stories themselves did not give me quite enough. However, I guess if their purpose was to make me want to read this author’s novels, I guess they were effective, but as a stand alone collection I feel a bit ‘meh’ about them.

So yes, mixed feelings.

I have been slowly going through Keegan’s backlist, I have enjoyed them all so far and this collection didn’t let me down. Keegan has yet again blown me away with these three stories. I was thrilled to find two of her previously published stories that I was yet to read part of this collection.

So Late in the Day is slow and contemplative. The Long and Painful Death is smart and inspiring. Antarctica is chilling, deep and twisty. I really enjoyed this collection.

Every single sentence is intentional, and the characters are so 3D despite only being with them for a few pages.

Highly recommend adding this one to the list if you’re a Keegan fan :)

Published: November 14 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an early copy, I am so pleased I have ticked off more of Keegan’s work.

Having read two of Claire Keegan’s novellas and being absolutely blown away by them, I went into So Late in the Day expecting it to be another favorite of this year. Sadly, these short stories didn’t pack the same emotional punch for me and I couldn’t connect with the characters or the themes of the stories. This collection wasn’t for me, but I still look forward to reading more from Keegan in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advanced copy to read. All opinions my own.

Didn't feel the connection I expected🙁

This set of short stories left me flat and a bit baffled. After reading the author's Foster that inspired a lot of sympathy and emotion I expected similar, but I felt no connection with these characters. I found the stories too short.

The first story had only one, cruel moment of misogyny that struck me as memorable as the main character thinks back over how he lost his fiancee and considers how he was raised in a home where his mother was a servant and scapegoat to her husband and sons.

The second story was also a miss for me. A female author retreating for a few weeks to a seaside cottage and finding inspiration from an unwelcome and unexpected source. The story provided minute details of how her day was spent but I did not get any feel for who this character was or what made her tick.

The last story, Antarctica, was better than the other two but even that just frustrated me as I felt the stranger the housewife meets in the bar was a shadow: no name, no background, no explanation of his intentions.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

If Claire Keegan writes it, I am going to read it. She is such a great contemporary Irish writer. I love her short stories and she never disappoints.

As a fan of short stories and Irish literature, i was excited to read Claire Keegan's new short story collection. There are three stories here, and the brief collection packs a real punch. I love stories like these which describe the brief relationships between pairs of characters. The endings all surprised me and left lasting impressions. I can't wait for more people to read this when it comes out!

I can't actually believe that this is my first book by Claire Keegan. I've several of her books on my shelves, and So Late In The Day has definitely prompted me to pick them up soon.

A triptych of short stories about women and men, love, misogyny, desire, and betrayal, there's something very special about these stories The prose is succinct and beautiful and then it's like an explosion of emotion. Of the three stories, I did prefer the first and last, but Claire is clearly a master of capturing relationships even if it's with one's self. There's great insight into the complexity of people in general, and I was completely captivated by this short but perfectly formed book!

5★
SO LATE IN THE DAY (story one) (title story reviewed in October 2022)
“It had been an uneventful day, much the same as any other. Then, at the stop for Jack White’s Inn, a young woman came down the aisle and took the vacated seat across from him, wearing a familiar perfume. He sat breathing in her scent until it occurred to him that there must be thousands of women, if not hundreds of thousands, who smelled the same.”

What is it about a familiar smell that can completely transport us to another time or place? Cathal has just been hit with the memory of another woman who wore the same Chanel perfume.

Sabine had grown up in Normandy, and he had met her a couple of years earlier at a conference in Toulouse, where they discovered they both worked in Dublin. They formed a casual relationship which gradually became more serious.

”At some point, Sabine began spending most of her weekends in Arklow, and they started going to the farmers’ market together on Saturday mornings.
. . .
Almost everything she brought home she cooked with apparent light-handedness and ease, with what Cathal took to be love.”

Keegan notes those little moments in childhood that shape us as adults and shows the repercussions that they may have in future relationships.

As of today (Nov 2023), this story is still available from 'The New Yorker'.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/02/28/fiction-claire-keegan-so-late-in-the-day

You can listen to her read it here:
https://www.wnyc.org/story/claire-kee...

THE LONG AND PAINFUL DEATH (story two)
It’s okay, no trigger or content warning necessary about a death, long, painful or otherwise.

In this story, a writer has been accepted by the family of late award-winning author, Heinrich Böll as the writer-in-residence for a two-week stay in Böll House. She has arrived at 3am with a few supplies and great intentions of diving into her work, looking out at the famous view from his study window when the day dawns.

Before she can get going in the morning, a German man has phoned her, asking for a tour of the house. Not now, she says. But he’s right outside and he’s insistent, almost demanding. Many people have applied for this residency, why does she deserve it?

She puts him off – after arguing and with some difficulty – until that evening, saying she has work to do. But first, a walk to the shore and then the exploration of an interesting area and pool at the bottom of the cliff.

“With care she stepped over the flat brown stones, followed the slippery path and came out into the cove of white sun. Debris had washed up from the high tide but all around her were deep layers of glistening, bleached stones. Never had she seen such beautiful stones, clanking like delft under her feet each time she moved. She wondered how long they had lain there and what type of stone it was but what did it matter? They were here, now, as she was.”

She even bakes a cake. How she chooses to “work” and spend her residency is up to her, not some annoying random man who wants her to feel guilty. Looking back on her life and how she has arrived at this point is enlightening, and what eventually inspires her is clever and satisfying.

ANTARCTICA (story three)
This was an unexpected tale from Keegan, but after I finished, I could see the recurring theme of the stories.

First, here’s a bit about this one.

“Every time the happily married woman went away, she wondered how it would feel to sleep with another man.”

I imagined this would be the lament of one of those wives, slaving away in the kitchen and dreaming of a better life, but this woman actually takes off for a weekend on her own, before she gets too old, she says.

“She had left a dish of macaroni and cheese out for the kids, brought her husband’s suits back from the cleaners. She’d told him she was going shopping for Christmas. He’d no reason not to trust her.”

She does indeed shop on the Saturday morning, buying the appropriate gifts, and then she’s free.

“She dressed up in the afternoon, put on a short plum-colored dress, high heels, her darkest lipstick, and walked back into town. A jukebox song, ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan,’ lured her into a pub, a converted prison with barred windows and a low, beamed ceiling. Fruit machines blinked in one corner, and just as she sat on the bar stool, a little battalion of coins fell into a chute.

‘Hello,’ the fellow next to her said. ‘Haven’t seen you before.’ He had a red complexion, a gold chain inside an open-necked Hawaiian shirt, mud- colored hair, and his glass was almost empty.

‘What’s that you’re drinking?’ she asked.”

And… she’s off! On her way to an exciting weekend, and it is. He’s an admiring suitor and he cooks. Of course it’s not all going to be happy families, but you knew that, right?

Keegan is so good at picking just the right details to indicate the untold parts of the story. I think that’s probably the secret to a good short story or novella. Everything doesn’t have to be spelled out – just enough that we have a good idea of where someone is coming from, who they are now, and what their dreams might be. Of course, some indication of where they’re headed is welcome, too.

Interestingly, in the second story, ‘The Long and Painful Death’, there’s a scene where the writer-in-residence remembers a past affair with a separated man who wanted her to move in.

“Once, when they were getting ready to go out, she had put her hair up, pinned it loosely and had chosen a long, velvet dress. She was thinner then, and in her twenties. ‘I like you like this,’ the man had said that night, but she’d known it wasn’t true; he preferred her in a short skirt with high heels, with her hair loose, and her lips painted red.”

So it’s short skirts, heels, and bright red lipstick for those two. In the first story, we know the woman who cooks so lovingly for Cathal was neatly dressed as a professional at the conference where they met. He was intrigued by her blouse with tiny buttons up the back.

In each of these stories, somebody gets their just rewards, although in one case, I thought it was a little extreme. Still, I love the way Keegan’s mind works.

Although my review is long, this is a very short book. The stories combined are only about 17,000 words, but Keegan doesn’t need a big novel to make a big impact.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a preview copy of #SoLateintheDay.

In a Nutshell: It’s a Claire Keegan story collection! What more do you want to know?! Read it! (As you must have guessed, this is a very biased review, because I love this author!)

Claire Keegan is one of my top favourite contemporary authors. She has a way of making me feel like a fool, most times.
Hmmm… Those two sentences don’t make much sense next to each other, do they? 👀
Let me elaborate.
I love Claire Keegan. She's among the few writers who believes in the intelligence of her readers and hence never goes overboard elaborating her content. She offers just enough for us to read and then trusts in our capacity to read between the lines and process the gaps. This means that her stories can never be rushed through. That what she says is much less than what she leaves unsaid. That you need to invest in comprehending much beyond the written word. That if you are a perceptive literary reader, you will have the time of your life with her works.
All this also means that when I read her stories, I am almost always left mouth agape after the first round. I return immediately to the start, and read the whole thing again searching for the clues I missed. Only after the second round do I see the cleverness of her hidden hints.
Am I complaining?
No way! I simply love the way she allows me to sink into the story with her vivid writing and yet challenges me with the journey her story takes. She always captures humans in their humanness than in their perfection. Thus she adds so much depth to a short story as even some novels cannot match.
This collection has three stories that have already been published elsewhere. Each story has an interplay between a man and a woman. (Cue: the tagline of the book!) Unlike what you would think though, the stories aren’t dominated by romance. But the juxtaposition of the pair in the stories leaves an aftermath on one of them, and that’s the character we hear from. The central character isn’t necessarily likeable, but this is not a problem as they are sketched believably. The endings aren’t what you wold call happy, but they are oh-so-perfect for the plot.
As always, I rated the stories individually. And the results weren’t a surprise. For anthologies, I usually review only those tales that impressed me, but this time, as there are only three stories, and each of them is a winner, here’s a mini review on the trio:

1. So late in the day - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
First published in New Yorker magazine.
I had already read and reviewed this story in July 2022. (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4834092436). But I reread it just to see if my opinion has changed. It hasn’t. Still a subtly impactful story. This provides a master class in writing for plot development as well as character development. Now, how many short stories can you say that about?

2. The Long and Painful Death - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
First published in her story collection titled ‘Walk the Blue Fields’.
This story took a while to get going. Initially, I wondered where the author was going with that detailed flow that almost bordered on ‘telling’. But I trusted her, and waited for her to explain the title to me. It’s only at the ending that the meandering plotline made sense and made me laugh. Wannabe authors, you might find this story very “inspiring”! 😄

3. Antarctica - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
First published in her story collection titled ‘Antarctica’.
It will be tough to talk about this story (a simple premise at the start, but soon,…) or the characters (so excellently sketched!) without spoiling it, so all I'll say is: Oh. My. God!

Four trivial complaints:
1. Why only three stories?
2. Why only republished works?
3. Why no author’s note?
4. Why such a boring cover?

Strongly recommended to all short story or literary fiction lovers. This collection is a gem not to be missed! Not for those readers who seek quick and easily entertaining stories.

4.3 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story.

My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the DRC of “So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I have heard a lot about Claire Keegan's books recently especially small things like these. So I had to pick this up and this short story collection did not disappoint me.

Claire Keegan is an irish author and she is famous for short stories. In this book, we are introduced to her writing prowess in the form of three short stories. The stories explore the dynamics between men and women. through chance encounters, romantic relationships and sex.

1. SO LATE IN THE DAY

"That was the problem with women falling out
of love; the veil of romance fell away from their
eyes, and they looked in and could read you."

The story starts at a Cathal's workplace , some tragedy must have happened with him from the tone of the first few passages but we do not know it yet. Slowly in a flashback, we come to know what took place in his life in past few years. Cathal is the result of years of patriarchy that we have endured since ages. The unconscious weaving of misogyny throughout the story is blatant and infuriating.

“Cunt,” he said.

Although he couldn’t accurately attach this word to what she was, it was something he could say, something he could call her.

Cathal's resentment and at some points hatred is incomprehensible.

"He wanted to deny it, but it felt uncomfortably close to a truth he had not once considered. It occurred to him that he would not have minded her shutting up right then, and giving him what he wanted."


2. THE LONG AND PAINFUL DEATH

A young woman who is on writing retreat receives an unwanted guest, a guest she thinks might be a good company but it turns out that the unwanted guest is something you would have done rather without.

All she had needed, tonight, was what
every woman sometimes needs: a compliment
– a barefaced lie would have sufficed.

3. ANTARTICA

This is my favorite story from collection. A woman on an excursion for christmas gifts away from her family ends up with a stranger, What happens next is totally unexpected, well I expected something to happen to be honest but definitely not that twist.

Overall I totally liked it and will be recommending to everyone. I actually already did on my book clubs.

Thank you so much netgalley and Grove Atlantic publisher for this amazing ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I typically love Claire Keegan’s short little novels for her characterization and writing and while I enjoyed this short story collection series, it felt TOO short too me.