Foster (short story)


"Foster" is a short story or novella by Irish author Claire Keegan.

Plot

In 1989 Ireland, Country Wexford, a girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm, while her mother gives birth. She has no notion of when she will return home. In the strangers' house she finds affection she has not known before, and slowly she begins to blossom in their care. But when a secret is suddenly revealed, she realizes how fragile her idyll is.

Reception

"Foster" has received a very positive reception, winning the 2009 Davy Byrne's Irish Writing Award. The Daily Telegraph compared it to the work of Seamus Heaney and William Trevor, while The Observer called it "Among the finest stories written recently in English." It is now on the English syllabus for the Leaving Certificate Examination.

Adaptation

An audio version of "Foster" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4's "Afternoon Reading" on 9 March 2015, read by Irish actress Evanna Lynch.