What are Magdalen laundries, and how do they feature in the novel? How does Keegan show that the whole town is implicated in the running of the Magdalen laundry?

What role does Furlong’s family of origin play in influencing his sense of identity? To what extent does he identify more with the people who raised him as the novel progresses?

To what extent do you think Furlong is a good father? How do his moral and paternal duties conflict with each another?