Published: Wednesday, 12th May, 2010 5:00pm

Moving new work from Cavan novelist, Denise Sewell

Danny, Mario and Me is a beautifully written new novel from Cavan town native, Denise Sewell. A story of friendship between three teenage boys in an Irish border town in the 1980s, the novel tells a moving, perceptive story about the nature of secrets, families and grief.

Tadhg, Danny and Mario are best friends, thick as thieves, untouchable, until one Friday night, when instead of joining his friends at a Stiff Little Fingers gig, Billy hangs himself in a field at the back of his family home.Haunted by the manner of his friend's death, Tadhg wants answers. In his endeavour to unfold the events that led to the tragic night, Tadhg reaches out to Danny's mother, Margaret, to help him understand. But is this an impossible task? Can any one human being ever fully understand why another chooses to take his own life? Either way, it's a journey that Tadhg feels compelled to take, a journey that may bear unexpected fruit.

Born in 1964, Denise Sewell grew up in Cavan town. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in Ireland and the US as a telegram girl, substitute teacher, hotdog vendor, waitress, nurse's aid and post office clerk. She now lives in County Monaghan with her husband and two children. Her previous novels, Some Girls Will and The Fall Girl were published to critical acclaim in 2006 and 2007.