Were it not for the use of mobile phones and flat-screen televisions, the closed, cramped atmosphere of this Catholic parish in Philadelphia would make one think of the '50s. The boys think only of church, baseball and girls (in that order), some of them even omitting the third element and taking little interest in the second. The good boys marry young and are very devoted to their mothers. This old-fashioned atmosphere is disturbed first by news reports of abuse investigations in a parish, and then by the dramatic suicide of one of the young men. Shortly afterwards, it becomes known that the boy had reported abuse at the hands of the beloved parish priest, committed when he was a little altar boy, and at this point the parish splits. The temporary removal of the parish priest triggers a kind of night of the long knives and causes the boys to leave the church. Unfortunately, this series of events does not make the novel address a serious reflection on the abuse by clergymen, the suffering on the part of their victims, the denial and suspicion that falls on them and that are themselves an abuse. What do they do instead, the young people who have left the church? They engage in a kind of sightseeing tour among the various religious faiths that brings them into contact with Judaism, Buddhism, the Quakers, and so on, as if the problem of abuse could be dealt with in this way and not by demanding a serious reform of the Catholic Church. The book is quite well written, but its lack of consequentiality between the seriousness of the premises and the superficiality of the conclusions makes it somewhat disappointing.

Danny's Boys joins a handful of novels addressing abuse of boys by priests. It is well written and readable, possibly triggering to those with personal experience of this tragedy. Its particular virtue lies in the author's intimate knowledge of the neighborhood portrayed and his experience as a student at Catholic schools. Recommended with trigger warning.

Thank you to Net galley for the free ebook of Danny’s Boys by Charley Heenan. This is a very well written, gut wrenching and engaging story of the victims of clergy sexual abuse.As a product of 12 years of Catholic education this was a very engaging and informative to me.It is narrated by Tommy Dunleavy and it tells the story of his friends and their reaction when the younger brother of one of his best friends commits suicide inside a church with crosses carved into his arms.Everyone in the parish is shocked and wonders why Jack killed himself.When the guys realize that Jack has filed a sexual abuse claim against their pastor Father Farrell, they are all shocked.Each of the group deals with a range of emotions from sadness to anger to disbelief.Read the book to find out what happens when the priest is cleared.Highly recommend!

I knew this was (obviously) a book dealing with religion, in particular Catholicism, but I guess I didn't expect the story to be wall-to-wall religion. The entire central conflict is the protagonist's crisis of faith and those of his friends. The author did a nice job handling the (triggering) themes of clergy abuse, spirituality, mental illness, alcoholism, and a slew of other heavy topics, but I thought I'd be getting something different.

Danny's Boys is the story of a group of young adults who traverse the cost of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The author does a great job highlighting the dynamics that can occur in a parish when a priest is accused of abuse as well as highlighting the power a priest can wield. I struggled a bit with the idea that in current times a group of hard-drinking college aged men would be such observant Catholics--it might have been an easier sell if the story had been set earlier. The setting in Philadelphia works well and the author gives the reader a real sense of the Catholic community and the place of church and CYO sports in that community. The author's writing style is very straightforward without a lot of fluff or descriptors. All in all a good read about an important topic.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

For those of us of a certain age, who grew up at a time when the parish was your identity, this book will ring true. Irish Catholic parish with intense loyalty to the parish and the priest. An act of pedophilia, but Heenan explores not the act/ accusation, but the reactions of the parishioners and the ramifications for all, but particularly so for a tight knit group of 20 something year old boys. An easy read, at times simplistic, but I would think only appreciated by those who grew up in the “ system”.

3.5 stars - An easy to read style of writing telling a story of male friendship and faith, explored against the harrowing story of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The writer conveys the strong spirit of male friendship as the storyline develops. While I thought the writing style was simplistic, the story addresses confronting and important issues in a sensitive and realistic way.

A compelling and descriptive story of young adults in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Philadelphia. Friendships and family relationships are tested as they come to grips with the suicide of one of their friends, caused by an abusive incident by their parish priest. The descriptions of Catholicism and the various rituals of the faith were interesting and added to the story. The emphasis on the boys' relationship with their church, their priest and their families was woven together in an interesting way. Some aspects were obvious and easy to guess as the story progressed, but the reactions to the suicide and subsequent conflicts between families, friends, and communities were what kept reader interest.

This book delves into the wider impact of what happens when a priest abuses a child - it looks at the politics, the power and the community around organised religion and how this responds when a person in a position of power abuses that role and harms someone. The reaction are fascinating. The deep indoctrination of the members of the church is highlighted and the sense of loss which is felt by those who accept the truth is captured clearly. It was interesting to see the desperate search by many of the characters for something to replace Catholicism. The book is written from the perspective of a young man and his friends and this, too, is compelling. With plain language and no melodrama, the author represents their reactions with realism and honesty. While I found the writing style a bit basic, the author has done a great job in adding layers of perspective and analysis to an unfortunately all too common story of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.