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Before the book even hit shelves, the manuscript for Trespasses had already been snapped up to be turned into a TV series.
Written by Louise Kennedy, the novel is a ‘blistering account of encroaching violence and fractured loyalties’.
Set in a small town just outside Belfast in the 1970s, it follows schoolteacher Cushla who finds herself caught up in an affair with an older, married Protestant man – Michael.
At the same time, they are falling in love, the Troubles are playing out, with car bombs, murders and the threat of violence ever-present.
Tonight, the TV adaptation will hit screens. Lola Petticrew (Say Nothing) stars as Cushla, while Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey) plays her lover. Gillian Anderson plays her overbearing mother, Gina, who is also grappling with a drinking problem.
Before the four episodes are released, here’s everything you need to know about this utterly captivating adaptation.
What is Trespasses about?
Trespasses was produced by Wildgaze Films, which has previously been behind films including Brooklyn and An Education. It was adapted by Ailbe Keogan, best known for her work on Bad Sisters.
The synopsis for the four-part series has teased: ‘Trespasses is the story of Cushla, a young Catholic schoolteacher whose life in 1975 Northern Ireland is shadowed by the Troubles.
‘Amid curfews, bombings, and betrayals, she works nights in her family’s pub, serving both sides and British soldiers, when she meets and falls for Michael – an older, married Protestant barrister. Their affair is intoxicating and dangerous.
‘Cushla’s world is full of defiant spirits: her drunk, sharp-tongued mother, Gina, her lively pupils, and beloved colleague Gerry. As the forbidden love between Cushla and Michael deepens, violence looms and tensions rise. Cushla is pulled between duty and desire, family and freedom.’
What have its stars said about the series?
After reading the book for the first time, Lola said she was desperate to be involved in any screen adaptation of the ‘cinematic’ story.
‘I called my agent and was like “Heya, I’ve just finished reading this book and they are going to make it into something and when they do, I want to play Cushla Lavery”,’ she recalled at a Q&A for the series this week.
‘Then five months later they emailed me…and then panic set in. But just reading it, everything lifted off the page and I could see it all of my head and I wanted to throw my hat in the ring early’.
While Lola – who is from Belfast – didn’t need to worry about taking on a Northern Irish accent, her Welsh co-star Tom had some troubles at first.
‘In the original tape I sent in, the accent was utterly diabolical, and I have no idea how I was cast,’ Tom joked.
Trespasses review
After racing through Louise Kennedy’s debut novel, Trespasses, last year, the initial news that it was being adapted for the screen left me with some trepidation.
It’s no secret that passionate fans of books have sometimes been left bitterly disappointed with the results of them being turned into movies or TV shows.
But soon after that first announcement, my fears were mostly allayed, discovering not only was the author on board as an executive producer, but they’d cast the captivating Lola Petticrew in the lead role of Cushla, a young Catholic woman who falls in love with a man she should steer well clear of for several reasons.
Ahead of the four-part series hitting screens, I was able to get a sneak peek at the first episode – which strikes the perfect balance of being both life-affirming whilst also presenting the shocking realities of life during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
At the same time that Cushla’s love affair is heating up, she’s also contending with the question of whether pursuing a married Protestant man is worth the risk – especially with the ever-present threat of bombs and assassinations for those who dare to cross the religious and political divides.
After starring as IRA member Dolours Price in Say Nothing last year, Lola again demands viewers’ attention, managing to elicit understanding for her actions despite the serious implications.
Ardent in her beliefs that she won’t be restricted by the divisions, Cushla also does whatever she can to challenge the bigotry between the Catholics and ‘Prods’, an impressive feat as she stands up to the powerful and dangerous.
Every facet of this production will demand your attention – from the beautifully shot scenes, the stunning costumes and the thought-provoking story. Like the book before it, Trespasses will keep you thinking for long after the end credits have rolled.
He went on to add that having sessions with a dialect coach was a ‘godsend’. ‘I knew I had to get it right ,and it took hours and hours and hours of work.’
Speaking about the affair that plays out, the stars said it was hugely important for their love story to be devoid of shame.
‘It’s not just a sexual attraction. It’s one of spirit and mind. When he walks into the pub and sees her crack that joke, it fills him up,’ Tom said.
‘I don’t want to watch noble, pious people. I am a complex person, and all of us are and make mistakes. That’s what I want to watch and play. I hope we have done the characters justice on screen.’
Meanwhile, Lola added: ‘We meet Cushla as a young woman who is experiencing a sexual awakening, and she is completely in charge of that, and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t ashamed of that.’
How was the book received?
Following its release, Trespasses was shortlisted for the 2022 inaugural Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The novel was the debut from Irish author Kennedy, who wrote it in ‘a haze’ while undergoing cancer treatment.
Having three months off work, she gave herself a challenge to write 1,000 words a day. By the end of 11 weeks, she had 64,000 words ‘of something that could loosely be called a novel’.
Although she believed no one was ever going to read it, the manuscript was quickly snapped up by a publisher.
Speaking about her novel, Louise has described writing a story presenting a love story set against the backdrop of such shocking violence.
‘I think in any world there are contradictions, horror and hope side by side. Northern Ireland was no different. There was fear and suspicion, but people still got married, had friendships, had children,’ she said.
‘I was a child in primary school then, and even bomb scares felt like an adventure. So, it didn’t seem a stretch to imagine someone falling in love. In fiction and drama, conflict heightens everything, and there’s conflict both in Cushla’s relationship and in the society around her.
‘The title Trespasses works on a few levels: moral lines, class lines, physical lines. Cushla crosses into a higher social class; both she and Michael cross militarised borders. Then there is the spiritual sense — from the Lord’s Prayer — where “trespasses” evokes sin. All of that felt fitting.’
Trespasses starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
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