About Tom and Kate Foley

Author’s notes …

With a last name like “Foley,” Father Sean absolutely had to be of Irish descent. Few Western countries have been so troubled for so long, so it’s not strange that his parents, Thomas Foley and Katherine Walsh Foley came from that troubled land. That Sean struggles with addictions suggests that his own upbringing was difficult, and, indeed, that’s the case.

Tom is a hard man … unschooled but a fierce worker who provides enough for his family from what’s left over after the booze. His friends respect him, but his family fears him. When he’s into the beer or whiskey (daily), he’s a mean drunk. His children fear him, yet Kate puts up with him. You might be forgiven for wondering why. Of all the things in the world that Tom despises, the Church is at the top of the list, yet “queers” are certainly a close second. You’d have to look very deep to find something to admire in the man.

Kathleen is nearly the opposite from her domineering husband. She’s weak to a fault when it comes to Tom. She deeply loves her children, Sean and James, and does her best to provide a home for them. She’s an affectionate and nurturing mother, but she seems to have a blind spot when it comes to their father. She’s been so loath to interfere with his brutal “discipline” of the boys, that perhaps there’s something lacking in her motherly instincts as their wails seem to fall on deaf ears. Yet, she’s right there to comfort them … only after the fact.

All we know as the book opens is that they’re living in a small, shabby house in Las Vegas. The Foleys had emigrated from Dublin to Boston, where Sean was born, but soon moved to Vegas where the construction jobs were plentiful and Tom found good work in the growing casino industry. Raised in relative poverty, conflict and dysfunction, it’s no wonder that Sean carries his own demons with him.