The Mortal Religion

A dark, thought-provoking psychological thriller that focuses on the effects of social exclusion, The Mortal Religion aims to touch on the raw nerve of a narcissistic society.Ever since school, the protagonist has been spitefully nicknamed Moonface, and victimised because of his unusual appearance. Tormented, he seems destined to live his life in agonising solitude until he meets Elizabeth, who is young, popular and beautiful. Elizabeth openly ridicules Moonface, neither knowing nor caring about his inner torment, and he realises that only change can induce change.Moonface kidnaps Elizabeth and intends to re-educate her - and ultimately mankind - so that even the less fortunate people among us can eventually be treated as equals. But progress is slow. Subjecting her to a humiliating, filthy existence fails to elicit the compliance Moonface demands. Only when he temporarily disables her senses does Elizabeth finally succumb to his brainwashing.But what Moonface hadn't thought about when planning his strategy was his own reactions. As he and Elizabeth begin to think alike, and discuss ways to combat society's evils, he is forced to face increasing self-doubt and sexual urges that could jeopardise his dream. While he struggles to resist his feelings, he is haunted by flashbacks of Victor Spinney - the most vicious of the bullies that ruined his childhood.As he loses self-control, Moonface finds his old nemesis living in squalor as a bitter vagrant, and can't resist revealing his pivotal role in Victor's downfall. Consequently, Victor embarks on a furious attempt to clear his name, and stumbles across Moonface and Elizabeth's world, which leads to the shocking creation of The Mortal Religion, a concept Moonface is certain will breed universal contentment...