Claire Keegan does it again with this gem of a short story 💎

Cathal lives in Arklow but commutes to Dublin City every day for work, where he ends up meeting Sabine, and they ultimately start a relationship. Now, in the future, Cathal reflects on the little events that sent their relationship in the wrong direction.

This story was a bit different to Keegan’s others that I’ve read, but it still had that familiar feeling that her writing brings. With small details of everyday life, Keegan has the ability to make us feel like a fly on the wall in even the most uncomfortable situations. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters in this story, but especially the main one. Cathal’s behaviour in his relationship and misogyny in general is clearly a product of his upbringing but that didn’t make it any more palatable. There is a flashback to his family around the dinner table as a teenager that made me so angry, but it was suitable to the story.

As always, if I see Claire Keegan, I will purchase!

Claire Keegan writes about the minutiae of life in a way that makes it feel big, which makes her writing feel so real because so much of the time the little things can be what is really taking up much of our life and our life story. Her lyricism and descriptions make each story really enjoyable to read through, and no matter how unassuming a story starts you know you’ll always leave with something to takeaway and feeling as if there was a reason you were reading about the everyday mundanity.

In ‘So Late in The Day’, we’re taken into a relationship that’s infuriating to watch develop precisely because of how plausible the scenario seems. It touches on a sort of indifference to the pain you can cause someone in a relationship. From a not-very-romantic introduction to a relationship to the realization of how different being in a relationship actually is from how it was envisioned, I was thoroughly devastated on behalf of our main character while watching the story unfold.

**Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Powerful little tales. I've just read one other Claire Keegan but I'm impressed. The gender dynamics are intriguing and horrifying. Reading these gives you a sense that it all could be happening in the house next door without you even being aware.

This is the first book I've read by Claire Keegan and now I am eager to read her others -- I was really impressed by this short novel told in three stories. The writing is so lovely and I felt very connected to the characters in a short time -- which is so impressive in a short story.

In the first story, Cathal is dealing with the fall out of a big life change while reflecting on how different things recently were. In the second story, Sabine is getting to know a new place and house. And in the third story, an unnamed narrator has decided to cheat on her husband for the first time.

I loved the writing of these stories so much, the depth of the characters was great and I loved the descriptions of the places. Claire Keegan really sets a mood, and I felt very impacted by each story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

While I love Claire Keegan’s previous works, this one fell in the middle for me!

I did enjoy the variety of perspectives in these stories and the lack of care to these characters being likable when telling their stories. I really disliked all of the characters and yet I didn’t hate these stories. That, I think, says more about Claire Keegan’s writing to me than anything.

Three and a half seems like a great place to settle with these stories.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic, Grove Press and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This has lots of helpful reviews already, so I'll just recommend it to short story fans.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Published by Grove Atlantic, 'So Late in the Day' comprises of three short stories about women, men, and the dymanics between them.

The first story - and my personal favourite - is “So Late in the Day”, where the protagonist, Cathal, reminiscences over his brief romance with a woman that he could not love. Favourite part of this story:

"You know what is at the heart of misogyny? [...] It's simply about not giving,' she said."

The second story - and my least favourite - is “The Long and Painful Death,” where a writer’s arrival at the seaside home of Heinrich Böll is disrupted by a retired academic, eager to impose his presence and opinions. Favourite part of this story:

"Do you think it's possible for poor people to be content?"

The third story is “Antarctica,” where a married woman travels out of town to sleep with another man. She does, and then time stops. Favourite part of this story: the anxiety build up.

Through her stories, Claire Keegan looks into the "could be" of human relationships, through searching for - and finding - the factor that eventually destroys them, be it the lack of generosity, the weight of expectation, or violence.

Huge thanks (and lots of love) to Grove Atlantic for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley.

I always wanted to read a book in one sitting and did so with this one, only 128 pages. I hadn't read anything before by Claire Keegan, but have heard a lot about her in the past year with the publications of her short novels and look forward to reading those next.

This book contained 3 short stories and the tone of each was foreboding, with the last story Antarctica being the most disturbing and leaving me with my heart pounding.

Claire Keegan is unparcelled when it comes to short fiction. She can accomplish more in the span of a story or novella than most of her contemporaries can in a much longer novel. All three of these stories are amazing and evocative with characters and themes that wills stay with the reader long after finishing. Each of these stories is an absolute gem. I have a hard time picking a favorite. This small collection might be my favorite book of hers that I have read and has been catapulted into the top five books I have read in the past few years. I eagerly look forward to reading more by Keegan; she is masterful.

In just three short stories, Keegan masterfully explores misogyny & relationships. She creates vivid scenes, each moment perfectly placed to deliver unforgettable emotional gut punches.

I really enjoyed this collection of 3 stories, this is the first book I have read by this author and I really like the way she writes. The last story 'Antarctica' actually really impressed me, those last few pages went in a direction I was not expecting and I was thinking about it all night! I'd say the first two stories were around 3/5 but the last story for me was a 5/5!

As a big fan of short stories and after really enjoying Small Things Like These, I had high hopes for this one. This book contains 3 short stories that explore the complexities of relationships. Overall, I just feel this one wasn’t for me. I didn’t resonate with any of the stories and wasn’t invested.

Claire Keegan is the best in the biz when it comes to short stories. She has a way of drawing her readers in, wanting more and more.

This is the third book by Claire Keegan that I've read (after Foster and Small Things like These) but unlike the others this one consisted in three short stories that were already published and then collected into this small volume. Similarly to my previous experience reading her novels, I loved this one too, if not even more as every story revolved around ordinary lives of men and women and important topics like betrayal, misogyny and relationships. Though the stories and themes were not extraordinary by any means, what most stood out for me was definitely the writing style: each one was written beautifully, and it flowed perfectly creating very distinct images. I felt constantly as I were watching short movies and I was immersed in every sentence. This was a 5/5 for me, absolutely.
Thank you so much Netgalley and Grove Press for the ACR!

This book contains three short stories by Claire Keegan that delve into the dynamic between men and women. Of the three stories, Antartica is my absolute favorite. Every time I read Keegan I am awed by her mastery of language and how she can’ paint such vivid pictures, craft such complex, developed characters and create stories that capture and absorb me in such a small set of pages and words. I love her work and will continue to read and recommend her to everyone, Her writing stays with you long after you’ve finished the stories. Highly recommend this book.

Claire Keegan writes in a way that lets the words and meaning breathe. So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men is a collection of short stories that reminded me how women are at the mercy of male whims, emotions, aggression and ideologies, those learned from a young age and those festered in lonely times. Of the three stories, Antarctica is the one that I keep coming back to.

In only three stories, Claire Keegan is able to completely win you over. I am so impressed by how vivid her writing is, succinct yet detailed. Keegan is a complete master: her short fiction leaves you totally wide-eyed, eager for more.

Claire Keegan is a master. I'd previously read Antarctica in the collection of the same name, and the story was just as haunting the second time around. Keegan's ability to give depth to her characters, and make the reader truly care about them and become invested in them, in such a brief form is unmatched. Her writing is beautiful, raw, gutting and simply...human. I can't recommend her short stories and novellas enough. Her name is the first that comes to mind whenever giving reading suggestions. Excellent.

My thanks to Grove and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this short book.
It is a little strange, made up of only 3 short stories, 2 of which have been published in book form already.
They are amongst Keegan's best, so I will give this a 4 out of 5 (and not a 5, since there is so little new material here, let alone any material).
This could be a good intro book to Keegan's writing. But given that her complete oeuvre is about 350 pp, in small format books, with large font and lots of white between lines, you can pretty much quickly introduce yourself to her writing by picking up any of her books.
Kind of a head-scratcher on why this is being published.
Go read the long short story "Foster" and the short story collection "Antartica" (the title story is included in here) instead.

Claire Keegan is such a master of short fiction; very few short story writers amaze me the way she does, with her precise, spare, careful writing style. I was surprised by this set of three stories for how it leaves you with the opposite feelings of some of her other work, like Foster and Small Things Like These. She expertly evokes dislike and dread over a handful of pages in understated, slow reveals. While these weren't my favorite work by her, they're still impressive, and build well on each other in their depictions of, especially, men and their thoughts on women.