Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

 This is a novella set at Christmastime in Ireland in the 1980s. Bill Furlong is a coal merchant in a small town that has come upon hard times. Though he was born to an unwed mother, he managed to have a stable upbringing through the kindness of one woman and now feels compelled to pay that kindness forward. Which he realizes could have a major impact on the nice life he has established. It's a quick read and a thought-provoking story about the difference that one person can make in another's life.