It is tempting after you enjoy a book by a new author to immediately read another. I know this is a big mistake, and I have a rule never to do it. I broke my rule, and indeed: it was a mistake.
I loved SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE, a very brief novel about a moral decision faced by a middle aged man in a small Irish town. It’s a miracle of brevity and impact. This next one, FOSTER, is similarly very brief. And maybe it’s also a miracle; but somehow I didn’t get it. It just seemed short. Maybe it’s not as good as the other, or maybe, which is what I suspect, the first time you read a writer you don’t see their ‘tricks,’ and the second time you do. I don’t know.