Shoebox by Sean Paul Bedell | The Miramichi Reader

A gripping look behind the scenes of life as a paramedic, specifically, though could transfer to the stress and tribulations of most professions. Bedell explores the life of Steve, former insurance salesman, current husband and father to two children, who is just trying to make everyone happy and earn a living. Burning the candle at both ends works for Steve as he just gets by right up until it burns him.

This novel speaks truth to the human condition and strain of trying to balance it all while making ends meet. Written from the perspective of Steve, a middle-aged man, the depth and struggles of his tale make it easily relatable. A plot that chugs along, with gripping descriptions that both pull at the heart strings and let them go so they sting, readers get a glimpse of the strain the emergency aspect of the health care system and the people who do they best they can to make it work.

Written from the perspective of Steve, a middle-aged man, the depth and struggles of his tale make it easily relatable.

With a threat of a strike looming, bill collectors calling, and a personal ultimatum that may force Steve to give up a job he loves for one he hates, Shoebox packs a punch in a small package. With many dynamic characters that help the plot move along smoothly, the impact of each decision weighs heavily with a life-or-death outcome.

It is evident Bedell has done his research and lived through experience to express such anguish and heartbreak. The haunting tales of a paramedic are something not everyone can handle, and Bedell seems to find his release through fictional characters who deal with the anguish like his own experience. In Shoebox, the author proves how life is about the perspective we view it from by brilliantly weaving together experiences anyone not in the healthcare field can dream of.

In Shoebox, the author proves how life is about the perspective we view it from by brilliantly weaving together experiences anyone not in the healthcare field can dream of.

A harrowing account of grief, struggle and masking it all to complete a task that is needed to complete a job well done. Through the eyes of Steve, we learn what it is to be human while putting our own problems aside to do what is right without skirting the issues of our current healthcare system in Nova Scotia and throughout Canada. Remarkably, this story is raw and gritty without being bogged down with sadness, as all good stories cling to a silver lining.

With a bit of comedic relief mixed in, this tale is not for the faint of heart, but a generous read for anyone willing to consider the challenges of everyday heroes who work for low wages through high stress. Shoebox is a well-written novel that offers a lasting impact, well-developed relatable characters, a plot perfectly paced, and the setting of a rural area of Nova Scotia many would be able to relate to. A story that invites readers to explore the power of humanity and the capabilities of healing we all strive to embody. The storyline pulls the reader through brilliantly while inviting them to explore their own strengths and how far one would go for a stranger, and a paycheque.

Author of the novel Somewhere There’s Music, Sean Paul Bedell has been writing and publishing for more than 30 years. A longtime paramedic and captain with the fire service, he lives with his wife Lisa in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Publisher: Now or Never Publishing (October 15, 2025)
Paperback 5″ x 8″ | 264 pages
ISBN: 9781989689882

Sarah Butland

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I am a struggling artist, a challenging and challenged mother who always thinks she is failing, an emerging freelance writer and reporter, an author with my name on several books crossing genres and always hoping to find more readers who enjoy them.

I am also a successful artist, a wonderful and thriving mother of one, a reacher towards both people and dreams despite all of the turned backs and obstacles in my way. I am a thriving freelance writer and reporter, an author loved by enough readers to make it worthwhile and a discombobulated conundrum who loves to hear new music, tell new tales and meet new authors. And I’m doing something I always dreamed of doing – reviewing books to support others as well as myself and my family.