When All Is Said

Like Maurice in When All Is Said, Harold is an elderly man reflecting on his life's regrets and missed connections. The narrative follows a physical and emotional journey that explores themes of redemption and the weight of the past.

This novel features a similarly cantankerous but deeply grieving protagonist who looks back on his life and the people who shaped him. It balances humor and profound sadness while exploring the impact one life has on many others.

Sharing the Irish setting and a sweeping life-story structure, this book follows a man's life through decades of social change. It captures the same sense of longing, identity, and the complexity of family ties found in Griffin's work.

This Booker Prize winner centers on an aging man forced to re-examine his memories and the reliability of his own narrative. It echoes the introspective and slightly unreliable nature of a protagonist looking back at his youth.

The structure of this novel—friends gathering to toast a deceased loved one while reflecting on their shared history—mirrors the 'toasting' framework of When All Is Said. It is a masterclass in memory and working-class life.

Written as a letter from an elderly father to his young son, this book shares the same quiet, philosophical, and deeply intimate tone. It explores legacy, fatherhood, and the beauty of an ordinary life.

This short, powerful novel deals with the same themes of lifelong friendship, lost love, and the specific items or moments that define a life. Its prose is as evocative and emotionally resonant as Griffin's.

While more glamorous in setting, the structure of an aging icon recounting her life through the specific people she loved mirrors Maurice's five toasts. It deals heavily with public perception versus private truth.

Fans of the character-driven, observational style of When All Is Said will appreciate the complex, often difficult, but deeply human portrayal of aging and community in this interconnected story collection.

Set in Ireland, this novella shares the same atmospheric weight and moral gravity. It focuses on a man reflecting on his choices and the quiet secrets of a small town, delivered with sparse, beautiful prose.