The Betrayal of Thomas True
In A.J. West’s historical novel The Betrayal of Thomas True, harsh moral laws and intolerance imperil the lives of gay men in Georgian London.
Handsome and earnest, Thomas True travels to London in 1715. He yearns for a better life away from his clergyman father, who accused Thomas of being a “womanish little demon” and subjected him to abuse and humiliation. Soon after his arrival, Thomas meets wily Jack, who introduces him to the city’s “molly houses,” playing on a derogatory term for a gay man. At these establishments, men carouse, dance, and explore alternate identities while dressed in gowns and wigs or “nothing at all.”
A burly carpenter, Gabriel, is also part of the molly community. A widower grieving the deaths of his wife and daughter, Gabriel often feels self-loathing over his sexual orientation and even buys an apothecary’s “potion” to cure his “disease.” Attraction develops between Gabriel and Thomas, along with the terrifying realization that there is a spy or “rat” among the mollies. This traitor is reporting gay men to the Society for the Reformation of Manners; they face public execution.
Gabriel and Thomas become closer at a gradual rate as they try to discover the spy’s identity. Defiant, anguished, or worldly, the other gay characters are characterized in terms of their quirks, intrigues, and, above all, their humanity. And the setting is made immersive via details of sooty, sprawling London, peopled with candlemakers, “goose and gravy” pie vendors, merciless judges, and crowds who delight in watching public “hangings and burnings.” Beyond the “freshly budded dome” of St. Paul’s Cathedral, unexpected enemies and accomplices heighten the suspense and the mollies’ sense of wary camaraderie.
A gripping historical tale, The Betrayal of Thomas True reveals persecutions, mysterious murders, and a valiant and lively alliance of gay men.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
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