Claire Keegan's writing is so good it feels almost biblical, says reviewer

Claire Keegan's short story collections possess a masterful command of language, solidifying her reputation as one of Ireland's foremost writers from the outset. This is the assessment of reviewer Erlend Loe, who admits to a peculiar avoidance of Keegan's work until recently.

Loe describes a "childish mechanism" that kept him from Keegan's books, speculating it might be the covers or a sense that her stories were overly steeped in "red hair and Irishness." He clarifies that he has no aversion to these elements, but something held him back, an interesting phenomenon he believes scholars could explain.

This avoidance ended a few months ago when Loe watched the film adaptation of Keegan's "Small Things Like These." The movie, starring Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson, paradoxically confirmed his "irrational suspicion" that Keegan might be trying too hard.

Despite his initial reservations and the film's confirmation of his suspicions, Loe's review suggests he has now engaged with Keegan's writing, finding it worthy of his attention and praise for its linguistic quality.