A review of “Foster” in 100 words by Catherine Stover
Should museums include the work of living artists? Rarely does an institution say, “We are confident this will stand the test of time,” but that’s in fact the judgement of The Museum of Literature Ireland in Dublin on Claire Keegan’s work. Her novels rest shoulder-to-shoulder with books by James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and Oscar Wilde, when her contemporaries are absent. Why was she chosen? Here’s my theory: Her stories build to the precise moment when something cracks open and there’s no going back. Then what? Instead of telling us, Keegan gives us the story. She shares her power with us.
Work cited:
Keegan, Claire. Foster. Revised paperback edition, 2022, p. 87.