Book Club: The Betrayal of Thomas True
A.J. West's story of love and murder in the Molly Houses of London.
Published in 2024, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a novel by A.J. West.
It's a thriller set in London during the Georgian period.
What's it about?
It is the year 1710, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost in the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the alluring underworld of the molly houses.
Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.
Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?
What themes does the novel explore?
Identity is a key theme. While it often feels that Thomas doesn't have much agency in the events that are unfolding around him, he is searching for his place in the world and the characters that he meets in the Molly House help him to figure out who he is and what he desires.
Community in marginalisation is also another strong theme. The queer men of London come together out of need and necessity. They can find safety in the spaces they build together - safety from persecution but also safety to simply be.
Betrayal is something that underpins this story. What's particularly interesting is how a marginalised community quickly fragments and turns on itself when its sense of safety and security is threatened. There's also the betrayal of family and state - nowhere is safe when the things that are supposed to protect us turn against us.
Why is this an important novel for gay men?
The novel effectively conveys the experience of queer men in London at this time - how men were forced to conceal their sexuality, the risks that they took in search of intimacy, and the community that they found when they were able to come together.
The Molly Houses of London - and other big cities in the UK at that time - are an important part of our queer history. In many ways, they are the first "gay bars" - places where queer men could come together, enjoy themselves, be themselves, and connect with each other.
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