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FICTION: EILEEN BATTERSBYreviews Foster, By Claire Keegan, Faber and Faber, 96pp. £6.99
A GREAT SHORT STORY says more than a novel; the genius of the finest short stories lies in what is left unsaid. The feel for the form of the Wicklow-born writer Claire Keegan is as unwavering as if she had first begun to sing opera in the mountains without ever having a music lesson. Her subversive stories are written with the sureness of touch possessed by only the most natural of musicians. The influences of her masters, William Trevor, John McGahern and, most intriguingly, Michael McLaverty, are evident, yet her stately, rhythmic prose, and its physicality, detached tone and assurance, are all her own. Publishers are reputed not to encourage short-story collections; novels are considered more commercially viable. Readers know that stories seduce, that a short story can outrun – and outlast – all but the greatest of novels.
