Small Things Like These audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
In the weeks before Christmas 1985, a coal merchant in a small Irish town makes a discovery at the local convent.
Short answer: for the Small Things Like These audiobook vs book choice, we say read it on Kindle (65% confidence, leaning). Named critics single out the precision of Claire Keegan’s prose, which favours print. Nothing on the listening side could be confirmed from a named source, but with only 7 points confirmed, confidence is held at 65%.
Read it on Kindle
Spare, precise prose that critics single out: print leans ahead on the one confirmed check.
Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.
Confidence 65%, which puts it in the leaning band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Aidan Kelly | Aidan Kelly |
| Length | 1 hour 57 minutes (1h 57m), unabridged | 1 hour 57 minutes (1h 57m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 1h 18m | about 1h 18m |
| At 2x | about 59m | about 59m |
| Audio publisher and date | Faber & Faber, 19 October 2021 | HighBridge Audio, 17 December 2021 |
| Audiobook price | £7.69 on Audible UK | $9.11 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £5.49 on Amazon UK | Not confirmed |
| Faber hardback, 116 pages | Grove Press, 118 pages | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.74 from 1,371 ratings | Performance 4.71 from 3,662 ratings |
Audible UK and US list the same narrator and length under two publishers. Whether they sell one recording or two is not confirmed. There is no recording by Aidan Gillen and no film tie-in recording. A 24-minute item about Cillian Murphy on Audible is not the book.
Ratings and prices checked 30 October 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 30 October 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan
- Genre
- Historical fiction
- First published
- 2021
- Length
- 116 pages (Faber hardback)
- On audio
- 1 hr 57 mins, Aidan Kelly
- Prizes
- Booker Prize 2022 shortlist; Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2022
- On screen
- 2024 film, starring Cillian Murphy
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Listening: nothing confirmed, 0 points. Reading: literary or dense prose (7), 7 points. 100% of the confirmed points favour reading, so the verdict is read it on Kindle at 65% confidence (leaning). Only 7 points could be confirmed, so confidence is held at 65% until more evidence is found.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Aidan Kelly, Faber & Faber, 2021, 1h 57m, unabridged
- Critic review
- None found for the recording
- Alternatives
- None
- What you miss
- Nothing confirmed
What this book actually is
Small Things Like These is Claire Keegan’s 2021 novella. In New Ross in the weeks before Christmas 1985, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, makes a delivery to the local convent. What he finds there, and what he decides, are not covered here. The book deals with the Magdalene laundries, institutional cruelty and unmarried motherhood.
It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022, and at 116 pages the Booker calls it the shortest book ever shortlisted. It won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction in 2022. The film, directed by Tim Mielants and starring Cillian Murphy, opened the Berlin Film Festival on 15 February 2024 and takes place over Christmas 1985.
The case for reading it
Critics single out the prose: Adam Roberts, chairing the Orwell Prize judges, called it beautifully written and precisely rendered. A short book written this tightly rewards going back over a sentence.
At 116 pages it is one evening’s reading.
The case for listening to it
Aidan Kelly’s reading runs under two hours, about 1 hour 18 minutes at 1.5x, and listeners rate it 4.74 on Audible UK and 4.71 on Audible US.
An Irish narrator reads the Irish speech and place names.
The audiobook in detail
Faber & Faber publishes the unabridged recording on Audible UK (19 October 2021) and HighBridge Audio on Audible US (17 December 2021), both read by Aidan Kelly at 1 hour 57 minutes. Whether they are one recording or two is not confirmed; the facts are the same either way, and the UK listing is the one named here.
There is no recording by Aidan Gillen and no film tie-in edition. The Audible UK subtitle still says the book was longlisted for the Booker; it was shortlisted. No PDF companion is listed.
Who should ignore this verdict
Lean towards audio if you want it as a two-hour listen before watching the film, or read aloud by an Irish voice.
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
A Christmas Carol
One narrator and praised narration, against a story that moves between past, present and future.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
One speaker and an author’s reading preserved in the US National Recording Registry, against lyrical, dense prose.
The Keeper
Also set in Ireland.
Hamnet
Literary fiction with the same pick.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Small Things Like These audiobook?
Aidan Kelly, on both Audible UK and Audible US.
How long is it?
1 hour 57 minutes, or about 1 hour 18 minutes at 1.5x.
Is it abridged?
No, it is unabridged.
How many pages is it?
116 in the Faber hardback and 118 in the US Grove Press edition.
Is there a film, and when did it come out?
Yes. The film, starring Cillian Murphy and directed by Tim Mielants, opened the Berlin Film Festival on 15 February 2024.
Is the film set at Christmas?
Yes. Like the book, it takes place in the weeks before Christmas 1985.
Should I read or listen?
Read, at 65%. Critics single out the precision of the prose.
Do you agree with this verdict?
We said read it on Kindle. One tap, no sign-up.
Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us and we will fix it. Or tell us how the site could be better.
How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: Audible UK and US, Amazon UK, Faber & Faber, Grove Press, the Booker Prizes, the Orwell Foundation, the London Review of Books and the Berlinale.
- Verdict last reviewed: 30 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
Deciding about a different book?
Search for it. If we've written it up, we'll take you to the verdict. If not, we'll add it to our list of books to check.