Shoebox

by Sean Bedell

264 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2025

Reviews

[Lucy Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHOEBOX by Sean Paul Bedell is a fictional exploration of a paramedic attempting to balance family commitments with the challenges and stresses of an occupation that quite often holds human life in the balance. Stephen is married with small children and enjoys responding to calls where he can ease suffering and problem-solve troubling situations. Although he is very good at his job, those instances where he is unable to make a difference that haunt him. Personal tragedy in his own family takes a toll on his marriage and soon leave him feeling like an imposter. Stephen grows increasingly troubled by what he considers to be his failures, as well as becoming overwhelmed by financial struggles and the politics of a unionized work environment. Adding a layer of poignant complexity, is his growing awareness that “not all deaths are mourned, and not all births are celebrated.” This is an intimate and insightful glimpse into the life of first responders, and the cost exacted on their mental health by daily acts of selfless heroism. Recommended.