November 2021
The Blackhouse
by Peter May
Moderator:
Liz Lister of Scottish Blethers
Host:
Trish Feaster of The Travelphile
Book available from:
Amazon, Thrift Books, World of Books, Alibris, and Audible
Back to Guide Collective Book Club
BOOK CLUB EVENTS
• INTRODUCTION
Monday, November 1 • 11am PT | 2pm ET | 6pm UK
(Note: Fall time change happens in the UK on October 3; while in US, it happens on November 7.)
Scottish Blue Badge guide Liz Lister begins this month’s GCBC with an introduction to Scottish crime writer Peter May and his novel The Blackhouse via a live presentation on the Guide Collective Facebook Page. Be a part of the event: tune in and participate in the chat feed during the show.
After thirty years of outstanding success as a journalist, TV screenwriter and writer, Peter May faced rejection. The Blackhouse, which he considered to be the best thing he had ever written, was universally turned down by all the established publishing houses in the UK. Three years later, a chance comment led to his French publisher reading it and immediately buying up the world rights. It took Europe by storm and finally achieved the success it deserved in the UK before selling over 6 million copies worldwide. This is a psychological thriller that will captivate you and hold you spell bound.
In this presentation we will introduce the author and the influences which have shaped him into the prolific and popular writer he has become today. The Black House is an excellent introduction to his work and today we’ll explore the characters, the themes and, of course, the stunning location of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
• GC Presents: Guy Fawkes Night a.k.a Bonfire Night
Saturday 6th November • 10am PT | 1pm ET | *5pm UK
(Note: Fall time change happens in the UK on October 3; while in US, it happens on November 7.)
This presentation will take place via Zoom. It is free of charge, although tips offered to Liz Lister as moderator (paypal.me/scottishblethers) are gratefully welcomed. To receive the link, please send a request to Liz at scottishbletherspodcast@gmail.com.
In Chapter 4 of The Blackhouse, Fin and his friends set out to build the biggest bonfire in Ness. Rivalry is fierce, every village wants theirs to be the best, and so when word spreads that the boys of the neighbouring village have got hold of a giant tractor tyre, a plot is hatched to steal it from under their noses.
In this presentation we’ll explore the origins of Bonfire Night in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605—when Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with King James inside. The group hoped to end the persecution of Roman Catholics by the Protestant Government, but when the assassination attempt failed there was a wave of national relief and a mood of loyalty and goodwill towards the King that was demonstrated through the building of bonfires. Learn more about the plot and the origins behind some of the fireworks that light up our skies.
Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason, should ever be forgot
And so, across the UK on 5th November or thereabouts, bonfires will be built and fireworks set off. To commemorate this event in history. To celebrate the tradition. But above all – to have fun.
Fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night
Image | Adrian Kirby, Pixabay
• BONUS EVENT | The Guga Harvest
Monday, 8th November • 11am PT | 2pm ET | 7pm UK
Member-exclusive event presented via Zoom. Members will receive Zoom link via email.
What happened on the rock?
The Blackhouse revolves around this question. The rock is An Sgeir, lying fifty miles north of the tip of Lewis—three hundred feet of storm-lashed cliffs rising straight out of the sea. For four hundred years, the men of Ness have made a two-week trip every August to harvest gannet chicks, or guga as they are called in Gaelic. What started as a necessity for food has become a tradition – a rite of passage for young men.
In this presentation Liz will take a closer look at what is involved in this annual pilgrimage: how supplies are transported to sustain the men on an island without food, water or power; the black house in which they live; how the guga are culled, preserved, and transported back to the island to be eaten as a delicacy; and the controversy generated by this tradition.
“Because nobody else does it, anywhere in the world. Just us”
Gannet with Guga
Image | Phil Botha, Unsplash
• Bonus Event | Setting the Scene: The Isle of Lewis
Monday, 22nd November • 11am PT | 2pm ET | 7pm GMT
Presented on GC Facebook.
In this live presentation, Liz will introduce you to the island location in which The Blackhouse is set and explore some of the specific places featured in the book. From the acres of white sand on Uig beach to the standing stones of Callanish and Stornoway itself, capital of the island. We’ll explore whether, as Fin suggests, little has changed on the island for generations.
Countryside scene on the Isle of Lewis
Image | Pearse O’Halloran, Unsplash
• Group Discussion
Monday, 29th November • 11am PT | 2pm ET | 7pm UK
GC Book Club Members will connect live with Liz via a member-exclusive Zoom session. Members will be able to share their own insights from the reading, engage with one another, and ask about questions related to the book as well as to the island location and its culture. Bring your book and feel free to enjoy your favourite snacks or drinks.
Members will receive a link to the recording of this event within one week of the discussion, so if you cannot attend, you can watch it at your leisure. The link will be available for two weeks and will then be deactivated.
To become a new GCBC member and receive the Group Discussion Zoom link, please email GC at theguidecollective@gmail.com. Link will be sent via email by 9pm PT on Sunday, October 24, 2021.
Note: Existing members who are already on the GCBC mailing list will automatically receive an email with the link.
• Throughout the month, share your reading progress with GCBC in the comments below on our social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
ABOUT THE BOOK & AUTHOR
From the historic adventures of Robert Louis Stevenson, we stay in Scotland but come bang up to date with one of Scotland’s top contemporary crime writers. Peter May is an award-winning journalist and television screenwriter who in recent years has developed an international reputation for his books which have sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
This month our book will be The Blackhouse, which is the first in The Lewis Trilogy.
Described as an outstanding thriller “that is as dark and chilling as the Scottish seas on a winter night” (Daily Record), the book introduces us to Detective Fin McLeod and weaves together two stories, eighteen years apart, as Fin returns to the island where he was born and raised, facing painful encounters with his past as he struggles to come to terms with recent tragedy.
The Isle of Lewis takes centre stage – the constantly shifting weather; the stunning natural beauty; and the people and their traditions. Peter May spent five years living and working on the island and now considers each return a homecoming. His writing is evocative, and his storytelling keeps you gripped and wanting to read on. As the literary critic of Euro Crime wrote “the story gets into your mind and won't leave you alone, it haunts you taunting you to put down what you're doing and carry on.”
Peter May
Image | The List
