foster by claire keegan: a book ramble

FOSTER by Claire Keegan

ok its time for another little rant about a book I read. I'm lowkey trying to keep these spoiler free but also its hard to talk about some books without spoilers

if you like short, heartbreaking books that read more like poetry than prose and focus around family issues, READ THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

this is, once again, something I read for school, but it was so beautiful it feels like something I would have read on my own. it's a story of an Irish girl(never named) going to live with her distant relatives(like her mom's cousin???) over the summer when her mother has another baby. it is actually heart breaking, but the beauty of the writing makes up for it.

specifically the relationship between the young girl and the man she stays with is so emotional for me. idk why but I had to stop reading multiple times when they were together because it was so sweet I started crying. (I wrote a whole essay on how keegan used water to show who was a father figure to the girl). 

ALSO keegan is just a beautiful writer!!! its a short book but she places every word so meaningfully that it feels like you've read a full novel's worth of story. she said in interviews that the book is a bit of a commentary on Ireland's strict contraception laws at the time, and I totally see it. it is not a good book for people with parent issues I cried so much and actually got mad at it a few times. but like such a beautiful read. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (I loved it)