Roger Clark

Mist of Tears Roger Clark

Set in the early years of the 20th century, when cars and phones were still a novelty, when 1,500 people drown after the Titanic hits an iceberg, with World War I fast approaching, and the Spanish Flu kills more people than die in the fighting, Mist of Tears brings to life the hopes and tragedies of two Ontario families. This is the true story of two people whose destinies become inextricably entangled and whose fates are determined by their strong characters, as well as by the powerful social and cultural forces that surround them. Mary McRae was born into a staunchly Catholic farming family in Glengarry County, with proud Scottish roots going back hundreds of years. Charles Magee was of Irish stock and he, too, was born into a farming family in North Gower, close to Ottawa. His family was staunchly Protestant. Mary became a nurse, Charles became a doctor, and their paths crossed, leading to their marriage and the birth of their son. During the early years of the 20th century, the Catholic Church was adamant that 'mixed marriages' were illegitimate unless the children were raised with Catholic values and practices. The papal decree, Ne Temere, was proclaimed in 1908, the year that Charles and Mary were married. To make matters worse, Charles proved to be a violent and abusive husband. Mist of Tears tells how Mary escapes back to her home in Glen Nevis, how Charles organises a raiding party in an attempt to recover his baby son, how Mary's uncle, Farquhar McRae, shoots and kills one of the group and is sentenced to life imprisonment. The following year, baby Charlie is kidnapped, and Charles has an affair with a mysterious Hungarian woman. We follow the lives of Charles, Mary, and Charlie through the Great War and beyond, as they take their own paths, seeking the happiness they failed to find together.