Updated / Sunday, 7 Mar 2021
10:00
Ciaran McMenamin s compelling tale alternates between the World War 1 battlefields of France and the Irish border in 1922 (Pic: Michael Shelford)
Reviewer score
Publisher
Harvill Secker, Trade paperback, hardback
Childhood friendships strained by enforced absence and a broken promise, the limits of personal loyalty, a cat and mouse chase with a bitter nemesis and the impact of war are the key elements in Ciarán McMenamin s latest novel.
Francie Leonard is a living contradiction, a Catholic who fought for Britain in the 36th Ulster Division on the fields of France. A man who, within six years, was fighting against the Empire with the IRA on the newly created Irish border. He is being hunted with ferocity by his former commanding officer Crozier, now leading a force of The Specials.
The Sunken Road by Ciaran McMenamin - read an exclusive extract
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Book review: The Sunken Road, by Ciarán McMenamin
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Ciaran McMenamin doesn t read reviews of his work which is a shame as his new novel The Sunken Road has been launched to widespread critical acclaim.
Hailed by critics as astonishing , tremendous and the author himself as being an exceptional talent , McMenamin is chuffed when told about the reaction but insists he learnt some time ago as an actor not to read reviews.
It s negativity that he can t stand and so much so that he shut down all of his social media accounts a few years ago - a massive step for anyone in the spotlight.
But the Fermanagh man insists his life is so much richer for it: I learnt over the years as an actor to not look for the reviews unless someone sent me one and friends tend to only send you the good ones.