Short Story Review: So Late In The Day by Claire Keegan

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As the story begins, we meet Cathal, our protagonist as he goes about his usual workday, even staying a bit late to finish up on pending work. The date is a significant one (which is revealed later) and throughout the workday and on his way home to Arklow, his thoughts often drift to Sabine, the woman with whom he had been in a relationship and was set to marry. As he reflects on the relationship – the highs and the lows- he is compelled to assess how his attitude toward Sabine and women, in general, contributed to the end of their relationship.

"That was the problem with women falling out of love; the veil of romance fell away from their eyes, and they looked in and could read you."

As the day progresses and Cathal critically examines the roots of his behavior the author directs our attention to the influence of social conditioning and upbringing on how one learns to perceive and value relationships. The narrative paints Cathal in an unfavorable light which is justified. We do get a glimpse of how treating women with utter disregard runs in his family and that is the environment he was exposed to in his formative years but can that alone justify the misogyny and insensitivity that he exhibits towards Sabine? We see flashes of the same pattern of thought in between his more enlightened and introspective moments and ultimately it is doubtful whether his broken engagement and his moments of clarity would actually inspire positive change. My only complaint is that we get a limited view of Sabine’s perspective, and not a very direct one, which is what I felt would have given the story a bit more depth and dimension.

Claire Keegan does not disappoint when it comes to writing about complex characters and their relationships. With vivid imagery, subtle symbolism and elegant prose, So Late In The Day is a beautifully penned, insightful short story.

**I found this story in the February 28, 2022 issue of The New Yorker Magazine. There is also a link for the audio narration of the story, read by the author. I believe the story can be accessed online even if you don’t have a subscription.(last I checked)**