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Beneath the Cedar Tree
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A family tragedy. Justice denied. A painful search for revenge and then salvation.
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64533
It’s 1995, five years since Brendan and Irene Gogarty lost their only son. The man responsible for the boy’s death is about to be released from prison, four years ahead of sentence. Overwhelmed by a crippling sense of injustice the Gogartys seek revenge.
Thwarted at every turn they take a punt on salvation. They make for Medjugorje, a spiritual shrine in the middle of a Balkan warzone. Deliverance does not come easy, not for a pair of agnostics on pilgrimage. When Irene has a meltdown on Cross Mountain they know things will never be the same.
The couple head for the azure calm of the Adriatic. There they meet a Bosnian couple, Anja and her severely war-damaged husband Damir, whose lives have been ripped asunder by turmoil in their home city, Sarajevo. An uneasy and unlikely friendship develops.
In this unique setting, Frank Shouldice brilliantly explores how one grief-stricken Irish couple finds the means to cope with loss and discover the things that really matter ...
"I absolutely loved it . . . a beautifully written story about loss and grief and what lies beyond it. Funny and heart-breaking and life-affirming in equal measure. One of those books where you don't want it to end." – Paul Howard (Ross O'Carroll-Kelly creator)
“I read it in one sitting; flew through it, in fact … an original story in a ... well-realised setting ... a poignant and ultimately life-affirming read.” – Martina Devlin, Charlotte: A Novel
“This twisty story … is as unexpected as it is revelatory. With pathos and wry flair, Shouldice transports us to embattled territories of … the human heart. A remarkable multinational journey that is life-changing ....” – Ethel Rohan, Sing, I
“Written in unsentimental gripping prose, this is a powerful story.” – Michael Harding, I Loved Him from the Day He Died
A wonderful book with a brilliant comic voice and a poignant exploration of grief that is ultimately consoling, Beneath the Cedar Tree celebrates the redemptive power of human connection, and takes the reader on a journey that in itself feels like a pilgrimage.’ – Andrew Hughes, The Coroner’s Daughter
‘A feast of dark sardonic humour, tragedy and joy, juxtaposed perfectly to give us a compelling journey of a mother’s emotional struggle against injustice and bereavement, and the confederacy of dunces and villains she encounters along the way. Highly recommended.’ – Sam Millar, On the Brinks
About the Author
Frank Shouldice is a Producer/Director with RTÉ’s Investigations Unit. He is the author of Grandpa the Sniper, which Diarmaid Ferriter called ‘rich, evocative … vivid and absorbing’ and is the writer/director of the award-winning documentary feature films The Man Who Wanted to Fly (2019) and Once We Were Punks (2025). He lives in Dublin.
| Author | Shouldice, Frank |
|---|---|
| Print Format | Paperback |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-0686645-3-3 |
| Date of Publication | September 16, 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 300 |
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