Whispered Name

Bill Brodrick was a Franciscan friar before leaving the order to become a practising barrister.

'Impressive ... Brodrick captures brilliantly the sickening nature of the soldiers' task in having to execute one of their own ... He uses this emotive material to its full potential, spinning out an interior drama that is every bit as gripping as the events themselves ... Brodrick tells his story skilfully, pacing it well, building up the tension and revealing just enough to keep the pages turning ... There are some brilliantly evocative and poignant descriptions of the trenches ... He has succeeded in telling a passionately human story about a most inhuman moment in history' Irish Times 'Sensitively wrought ... Brodrick's exploratory novels are refreshing and restorative, his style is thoughtful and precise; his integrity powerful. You feel better for having read them. Maybe you are' Spectator 'The horrors of Passchendaele in 1917 run through this exquisite novel. Just how much can a man take before he must simply walk away? And what kind of strength enables one man to lay down his life for another?' Matthew Lewin, Guardian 'Brodrick writes very well about inner movements of tension and realisation. This is an ambitious book in the way that it balances these profound questions with an intricate and pacy plot, and in its scope, tracing lives spanning nearly a century' Scotsman 'A powerful addition to the ranks of memorable World War One fiction' Metro 'Brodrick is undoubtedly a fine storyteller ... [Father Anselm] is a compelling protagonist' Matt Thorne, Sunday Telegraph