John Devane was six weeks old when his father died, leaving his mother poverty-stricken and struggling to raise seven children alone. Further tragedy followed when, less than a year later, his older brother was killed in a road accident. His despairing mother turned to drink, and John's childhood was a nightmare of neglect and beatings. At age eight, he was sexually abused for the first time, by a neighbour. Thus began a cycle of sexual abuse that lasted throughout his childhood, by numerous people from his community, including members of a tightly run Limerick paedophile ring. Later, still not yet a teenager, he was pimped on the Limerick docklands.
By the time John was 15, he was suicidally depressed. Alcoholism and years in the wilderness ensued. However, against the odds, he made a remarkable new beginning, first by joining the army, then by returning to school and later entering university, where he qualified as a solicitor. He set up a busy practice and built a reputation for defending the criminals of Limerick when nobody else would. Then, one day, the unthinkable happened, when John received a call from police. A man was up on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor, and had requested John as his defence solicitor. Now John had a choice to make. Because this man had failed to recognise this successful lawyer as the young teenage he had abused many years before. This is the extraordinary story of a life almost destroyed by abuse, and the hard choices one man made in his fight to recover himself.
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Under EU consumer law, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of receiving your order, without giving a reason. To formally exercise this right, use the button below. This is a distinct function separate from our general returns process.
Notice of Withdrawal
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Your right to cancel
If you order online, you have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving your goods, without giving a reason. This cooling-off period runs from the day you (or someone you nominate) receives the last item in your order. To cancel, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com stating your order number and your wish to withdraw from the purchase. Once we've confirmed your cancellation, you have 14 days to send the goods back to us.
Condition of returned items
To be eligible for a refund, your item must be returned unworn, unused and unread, in its original packaging, and in the same condition you received it. You'll also need your receipt or proof of purchase. If your return is based on the item's condition on arrival, please include a photo so we can advise the best resolution.
Faulty or damaged items
Please inspect your order on arrival and contact us immediately if an item is defective, damaged, or not what you ordered. Separately from the 14-day cancellation right above, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund on faulty goods for up to two years from purchase, under standard consumer guarantee rights.
This guarantee covers manufacturing faults only, such as printing errors, missing pages, or binding defects present at the time of purchase. It does not cover damage arising from normal use or wear, including creased spines, worn covers, marked pages or general signs of reading. If you're unsure whether an issue qualifies, send us a photo and we'll be happy to advise.
How to return
To start a return, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com. If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label and instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted. If a return is due to an error on our part, we'll cover the postage cost.
Exceptions and non-returnable items
Certain items cannot be returned, including custom products, special orders, sale items and gift cards.
Trade-In Programme
If you're trading in previously owned books rather than returning a purchase, please see our separate Trade-In Programme terms, which operate independently of this policy.
Refunds
Once we've received and inspected your return, we'll let you know if the refund has been approved. If approved, you'll be refunded automatically to your original payment method. Please allow some time for your bank or card provider to process and post the refund.
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