He knows all he cares for could be lost at any moment, knows that as the son of an unwed servant, he could have ended up in a very bad place. Bill Furlong, almost forty, a hard working coal merchant with a wife and five daughters, knows how good he has it. This novella takes place in cold and wintery 1986 Ireland. This book is a short read but will stay with you for so much longer.

Like so many small towns, people are struggling to get by, and people are being driven from their homes, heart wrenched, into the cities to find decent jobs. It is set in Ireland where times are hard, economic depression is settling in. If you enjoy It’s A Wonderful Life or the story of The Good Samaritan, you will love this book. One day, near Christmas, he makes a delivery at convent when he discovers something that doesn’t sit quite right with him. Furlong is making ends meet though, delivering fuel in the form of coals and logs to the townspeople. The town has known hard times, factories are closing up, and people are being laid off. They have enough to eat and aren’t living on credit. He has a happy life with his wife and five daughters. Bill Furlong is living a quiet, unglamorous life in Ireland.

K8 small things