Read the first five pages of the free PDF (legally, via a library app or trial) and see if Keegan’s hypnotic, stripped-back prose hooks you. It will. Then, for the price of a sandwich, buy the Faber & Faber 2022 edition. It has a cover by the artist Katie Holten that alone is worth the purchase price.

These books share similar themes and elements with "Foster," including explorations of identity, culture, and human relationships. They offer powerful and thought-provoking reading experiences, and are highly recommended for readers who enjoyed Keegan's novella.

The figure of Maurice Carey, the patriarch of the foster family, is particularly noteworthy. A quiet, introspective man, Maurice is struggling to come to terms with his own past and sense of purpose. Through his relationships with Mary and Lucy, Keegan reveals the complexities of his character, exposing the fault lines and contradictions that make him human.

The Kinsella property has a dangerous, covered well where a previous child drowned. The man warns Cáit about it, but he does not forbid her from going near it—he trusts her. This is radical parenting for a child used to neglect.

The central theme is how a child blossoms when given affection and attention. The Kinsellas do not just feed the girl; they show her she is worth looking after.