Grabbed this on a whim from the front desk at Open Books in Chicago, not sure what drew me in specifically, but this really quick read packs a mighty punch. A story about a man trying to do his best for a quiet type of heroism: supporting your family, community, and generally being an empathetic person striving to do the right thing, the backdrop of Christmas season in 1980s Ireland in a town that’s struggling, sees the main character pushed to see what that next level looks like. Magdalene laundries are not something I had ever heard of, which is scary given how recently the history of them goes. So kudos to Keegan for bringing this to life and no doubt inspiring every reader who picked up this book to spend some additional time researching and learning even more.