The only sin is betrayal…
It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous 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?
Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…
I reviewed The Betrayal of Thomas True in June but this book has completely stolen my heart and is firmly ensconced among my favourite books of all time. I didn't hesitate, therefore, when I was invited onto the Random Things blog tour. I'm thrilled that the novel is already a massive Sunday Times bestseller but still, I'm on a mission to (mostly figuratively) thrust it into as many people's hands as possible! I'll be re-sharing my review below but before that, AJ West was kind enough to allow me to ask him some questions.
Huge thanks to AJ, Orenda Books for sending me an advance copy of the book (I've since bought both hardback copies and highly recommend you do the same - they are stunning!), and Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.
I was really impressed by how authentic the book felt; particularly the dialogue which really captured the essence of the period. Did you have to consider modern day sensibilities alongside reflecting the era as truthfully as possible?
I did, yes, partly so the reader could follow the story without getting tangled up in too much alien language, partly because some of it was downright offensive. I don’t mind offensive language but I’ve come to learn as an author that dialogue is an essential tool in character building, and every utterance should be checked and double-checked to make sure it fits with each individual. For instance, Fump might use term ‘cudgel smuggler’ (not that he does in my book, but it feels like something he would say) but Gabriel would never say anything so crude and colourful.
I'm fascinated by how much research you must have done prior to writing the book. Were you already familiar with the early Georgian era and did you discover anything surprising during your research?
I’d never read or written about the early 1700s, so it was fun to go to the library and visit archives – switch on the time machine as I like to think of it – and travel back to a truly fascinating time, instantly recognisable and completely different in myriad ways. I was surprised that water pipes were still hollow tree trunks knocked together to make pipes, and that people could get married without a certificate being signed or having a priest present, but most of all I was surprised by the brutality of pillorying. I knew it was an instrument of public shame but I had no idea how physically violent the crowds were. People often died of their injuries, mollies and their allies like Mother Clap in particular. In fact, Mother Clap does seem to have died of her injuries after falling from the pillory in a fit. She was arrested for running a molly house, and while she escaped the noose, she was still, effectively, executed.
Thomas and Gabriel are obviously the central characters and I loved them both, but there are so many other wonderful characters - did you have any favourites amongst them?
Yes, I think Fump and Vivian are favourites, because they remind me of the older gay men in my life with their naughtiness but also their love for each other. There’s an honesty about them and they don’t care what the other mollies think of them; it’s a freedom I hope will come to me in time. That being said…one or both of them may have a secret or two to hide. Henry is also important to me. I find straight male characters in many books these days pretty 2-dimensional and often infantilised, diminished or in some way negatively portrayed. My straight male friends are some of the kindest, most decent and supportive people I know, and I wanted to make sure I represented that in my book, as well as filling it with fierce and fabulous women.
Thomas and Gabriel have to try to expose the Rat who is betraying the mollies. Did you always know their identity or did it change while you were writing the book?
I always knew, up to a point. In an earlier draft, another character was also involved in the Rat’s schemes but I removed that element to streamline the plot and add pace. Thank God I did because otherwise we wouldn’t have the chapter near the end where…well you get an interesting perspective and a big reveal, that’s all I can say.
The mystery behind the identity of the Rat is gripping but The Betrayal of Thomas True is also such a tender love story and a harrowing look at the way gay men were treated then. It must have been incredibly emotional to write about, so did you need to take steps to protect yourself at times?
No I didn’t take any steps to protect myself I must admit. It didn’t occur to me really because I’ve always lived my life wanting to feel everything and hide from nothing. I guess I had the love of my husband and friends and many long talks with Victoria Hyde (@InstaBookTours) to keep me on the gay and narrow. But no, I wept writing some of those scenes and it was right to weep. Those men deserve our admiration and sorrow for what was done to them.
You've written about the early 20th century in The Spirit Engineer and the Georgian era in The Betrayal of Thomas True. Are there any other historical periods you'd like to write about or would you set a book in modern times?
I would certainly set a book in modern times and I think I shall one day, but for now I’m enjoying my time machine. I was obsessed with the Victorians and Ancient Egyptians at school so perhaps they’ll tempt me. I am also a massive Elizabeth 1st fangirl, but I would need to come up with a focus that felt fresh, there’s so much out there already! For me, the pleasure is in bringing something fresh and unique to the genre, I would hate to write something that felt overly familiar to the reader.
What advice would you give to somebody who wants to write a book, particularly historical fiction?
I wouldn’t give them any advice because my own journey has been so strange and hazardous I can’t make sense of the industry at all. I would perhaps ask them to write something beautiful and unusual and provocative.
The Spirit Engineer won the HWA Debut Crown and The Betrayal of Thomas True is already receiving some deservedly fantastic reviews. What books inspired you to become an author and are there any recent books you've particularly enjoyed?
Thomas Hardy, Dickens and the Brontes (the sisters, less so the brother) inspired me, certainly. Moulin Rouge inspired me too, as did The League of Gentlemen. Winnie the Pooh, The Witches, The Famous Five, Wind in the Willows. Sarah Waters, Iris Murdoch, John Boyne, many more. As for recent books…I’ve not read current fiction for a while because I’ve been researching a non-fiction project but as a complete curveball, I loved A Bookshop of One’s Own by Jane Cholmely. It’s the story of London’s now closed feminist-lesbian bookshop. I laughed and teared up, a really wonderful historical insight.
Thank you so much, AJ!
If this hasn't already tempted you enough, here's my review again.
The Betrayal of Thomas True was my most anticipated book of the year. It is always slightly daunting starting a title I've been so desperate to read but having read A.J. West's previous book, The Spirit Engineer, and hearing him talk about this new novel at Yeovil Literary Festival, I had a good feeling about it. What I didn't expect, however, was just how much I fell head over heels in love with it. I am fortunate to read scores of superb books every year, many of which I will continue to recommend years after I publish my review. Every so often, though, I come across a novel which steals my heart; I first read The Betrayal of Thomas True in April and couldn't read anything else for days, such was the effect it had on me. I was fortunate to be able to buy a hardback copy of the book ahead of its official publication date and a few days ago I picked it up to admire it and maybe read a few pages. I finished it for the second time the following day and despite knowing what would happen, it enraptured me at least as much as the first time, perhaps even more, because returning to these characters felt like meeting old friends again.
Thomas True is introduced at the start of the book as he embarks on a new life in London in 1715. His naïve sense of gauche excitement makes him an immediately endearing figure but even at this early point in proceedings, it's soon clear that he has suffered greatly at the hands of others. It's little wonder, then, that he should enter London with such high hopes – but his clumsiness quickly thwarts his early plans. He soon comes to the attention of a couple of characters who prove to be instrumental in his eventual transformation; one introduces himself, guides Thomas to his new home, and after a frightening, bewildering encounter, declares him to be "one of us"; the other observes him from high above the streets.
Both Jack Huffins and Gabriel Griffin are mollies – a slang term given in the Georgian era to men who had sex with other men. They would meet at molly houses, where they dressed as women and gave themselves female names, and at a time when men found guilty of being a sodomite were pilloried or hanged, these places became sanctuaries for dancing, drinking and a place to express their romantic and sexual desires. Jack invites Thomas to find him at Mother Clap's, a real-life location and one of the most infamous of the molly houses.
While Jack enjoys indulging in risky, provocative behaviour, poor Gabriel is bitterly ashamed of his true self. There are fascinating parallels and differences between Thomas and Gabriel; both have tried to hide their so-called sinful desires, but while Thomas is still youthfully optimistic, Gabriel has suffered tragic losses and is a lonely, tormented figure. Their appearances are in stark contrast to one another, too and one of the most touching aspects of the book is the manner in which their self-doubt and belief that they are ugly is contradicted by the admiration and secret passion they invoke in one another. Throughout the book, A.J. West perceptively explores self-acceptance and the need to belong, and the mollies' mantra, 'always together' is both deeply emotive and a stirring battle cry against bigotry and the hateful cruelty of the Society for the Reformation of Manners.
The vibrant characterisation is complemented by the authentic, atmospheric evocation of the period and as Thomas begins to make a life for himself in London, the city is opened up to readers too. A.J. West captures all its chaotic, putrid squalor so vividly, it's almost possible to hear the clamour and smell the foul miasma. From the Squink's candle shop on London Bridge, through the busy streets and hidden alleyways, to the debauched hedonism of Mother Clap's and into the terrifying, dangerous underworld of Alsatia, the city becomes almost a character in its own right.
As well as being immersive historical fiction, The Betrayal of Thomas True is also a compulsive, harrowing mystery as Gabriel and Thomas desperately try to uncover the identity of a traitorous figure known only as 'the Rat' before it is too late. It seems the culprit may be among the mollies but could it really be Sweet Jacky, Lavender Long-legs, Vivian Guzzle, Nelly Fump, the Duchess of Camomile or even Verity True-Tongue herself? The tense, compelling plot abounds with twists, turns and clever red herrings until the dramatic truth is finally revealed. Meanwhile, beyond the terrible fear and increasingly acrimonious suspicions aroused between supposed friends and intimates, a tender, captivating love story also develops. A.J. West's empathetic, emotional portrayal of these two scared, yet immensely courageous men is unforgettably moving throughout. It's not an unremittingly dark or poignant novel though and there's a finely tuned balance between the intense scenes and the lighter, humorous moments, some gently observed, others more gloriously bawdy.
In his author's notes, A.J. West reminds us that this is a work of fiction, and certainly there are some almost fantastical elements woven into the intricately plotted storyline. However, Thomas True, Gabriel Griffin and the other mollies represent the real-life homosexual men of Georgian London whose bravery as they revelled in their authentic, often outrageous selves, in spite of the deathly penalties they risked, should be remembered and celebrated. I think they would be enormously proud to be brought back to life so vividly in The Betrayal of Thomas True. I couldn't have loved this exceptional book any more; I laughed, I couldn't breathe and I wept. Exciting, evocative, witty, heartbreaking and so, so beautiful; Thomas and Gabriel will be in my heart forever.
The Betrayal of Thomas True is published by Orenda Books. It can be ordered from the publisher's website. More purchasing links can be found here.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
An award winning BBC newsreader and reporter, he has written for national newspapers and regularly appears on network television discussing his writing and the historical context of contemporary events.
A passionate historical researcher, he writes at The London Library and museum archives around the world.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
ReplyDelete