It's Sunday - so an appropriate day to tackle the thorny subject of religion, or at least introduce it, as religion is a major theme in the books, especially in the second one.
It's there right from the start. Opening page of the prologue... 'His mum twittering on about a Gaelic language she couldn’t understand, and a Protestant religion that was not to her taste.'
And it's a conflict straight away - Lewis Macleod is a Catholic, but the island where the clan was once based is staunchly Protestant. How this has come about I do not dwell on, but it's safe to say that Mary, the mother, is the Catholic flagbearer, and Calum, the father and the Macleod name bearer, was the one who converted.
Being brought up as a Catholic has made a mark on Lewis - a mark that becomes clearer as his story progresses. Few can see it, but it will be revealed. But right from the start there is one man who is building it into the picture he is forming of Lewis... The Body Perfect Englishman of course - the very savvy and calculating, Lee Porter. Here's a snippet from the first call Lewis makes to Lee...
“It’s nothing really - just my mum. She called earlier… As you can imagine, she’s not too happy with me at the moment. No surprise really, is it? I don’t suppose it’s very nice for her seeing her son spread all over the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. What must the neighbours think, eh? Or even
worse – what would the priest have to say on the matter?”
Lee heard laughter down the phone, Lewis trying to make light of it, but he could tell that these quips were more than throw-away jokes. These questions were serious, for the mother at least... A Catholic mother - which meant a Catholic upbringing - another interesting revelation that spoke volumes to a savvy listener who was well versed in the subject of parental disapproval.
It's there right from the start. Opening page of the prologue... 'His mum twittering on about a Gaelic language she couldn’t understand, and a Protestant religion that was not to her taste.'
And it's a conflict straight away - Lewis Macleod is a Catholic, but the island where the clan was once based is staunchly Protestant. How this has come about I do not dwell on, but it's safe to say that Mary, the mother, is the Catholic flagbearer, and Calum, the father and the Macleod name bearer, was the one who converted.
Being brought up as a Catholic has made a mark on Lewis - a mark that becomes clearer as his story progresses. Few can see it, but it will be revealed. But right from the start there is one man who is building it into the picture he is forming of Lewis... The Body Perfect Englishman of course - the very savvy and calculating, Lee Porter. Here's a snippet from the first call Lewis makes to Lee...
“It’s nothing really - just my mum. She called earlier… As you can imagine, she’s not too happy with me at the moment. No surprise really, is it? I don’t suppose it’s very nice for her seeing her son spread all over the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. What must the neighbours think, eh? Or even
worse – what would the priest have to say on the matter?”
Lee heard laughter down the phone, Lewis trying to make light of it, but he could tell that these quips were more than throw-away jokes. These questions were serious, for the mother at least... A Catholic mother - which meant a Catholic upbringing - another interesting revelation that spoke volumes to a savvy listener who was well versed in the subject of parental disapproval.