This is a story of hope, heroism, and empathy. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in a small Irish town in 1985, faces his busiest season. Early one morning during a delivery to the local convent, he makes a discovery that causes him to confront his past and make a choice.
Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, this little gem reads almost like a bedtime story on Christmas Eve. It is an Irish historical fiction, a portrait of a family, and a tale of one man’s courage in the face of complicit silences in a town controlled by the church. Quiet yet compelling, this novella may not be long, but much is skilfully conveyed in just a few pages.
Joanne's Reading Blog 
A gem of a book. The author is a gem of a writer.