The Betrayal of Thomas True
A.J. West's new novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, set in 1715, introduces us to Thomas True, a beautiful, kind and incredibly naive young man who has spent his life in torment thanks to the near-constant abuse from his monstrous father for straying from god's path. Seen as being different, Thomas's otherness has also made him the target of cruelty and violence at the hands of the god-fearing villagers of this hellish place. Thomas's desire to escape the fire-and-brimstone wrath of his father (and his father's flock), comes to fruition when he turns 20, packs his bags and catches a coach heading to London. Thomas hopes to get lost in the anonymity of the city while, at the same time, seeking out the companionship of others like himself. Thomas's ultimate goal is to find one great love who will return his love. To secure gainful employment and ensure a roof over his head, Thomas makes his way to the home of his aunt and uncle, and his first cousin, Abigail, a great friend and confidante from his childhood whose love for Thomas has remained constant. Thomas is immediately put to work as an apprentice candlemaker and assigned a room in the garret of this odd family's home. The uncle is delighted with Thomas's work, but the aunt is less enthused by his presence; there's definitely something off about him, she thinks.
At night, after everyone retires to their bedrooms, Thomas ventures out into the London night and soon finds his tribe, leading him to the notorious molly house known as Mother Claps (a real-life London establishment from 1724-26). Initially, Thomas is--somewhat warily--welcomed into the fold; after all, he's a complete stranger who suddenly showed up out of nowhere. But, being young, beautiful and charming, he arouses both the lust and jealousy of the clientele. For his part, Thomas is enchanted with the place, with mollies (even the butch ones) dressing in women's clothes, christening one another with women's names, gossiping, drinking and dancing together as if they hadn't a care in the world.
Thomas meets Mother Claps burly doorman, Gabriel, and an instant attraction springs up between them. Rough-hewn Gabriel, having lost his wife and baby a year earlier is still grieving for them, which makes things a bit tough as pretty boy Thomas attempts to get better acquainted. In fact, even though he works the door at Mother Claps and occasionally dresses up, himself, it's not clear if Gabriel has ever been with another man (Thomas has decidedly not). Hoping to remedy the situation, Thomas becomes more and more available to (and infatuated with) Gabriel, who is fighting against the tide of his own strong emotions. Then, several mollies fall victim to arrest and the most grotesque barbarities. To his dismay, some of Thomas's new friends perceive him to be the traitor in their midst known as "The Rat", a mysterious, malign figure who reports the names of sodomites for monetary gain.
Part mystery, part adventure, part romance, The Betrayal of Thomas True plays out its tragic narrative against a backdrop of--lawfully condoned--extreme cruelty and blood-drenched savagery. This is a world where grandstands were erected to accommodate enthusiastic crowds attending public executions, a world where loving someone could get you tortured to the point of death. In this world, the women were, in fact, as fierce as their menfolk when it came to meting out punishment to godless sinners. Safe havens, it turns out, are a delusion in the world of the mollies.
While Thomas True is a work of fiction, it is based on documented facts. Gay men have been singled out for persecution throughout history, nowhere more than in England, where being gay was a capital offense until 1861. (Homosexuality wasn't decriminalized in the UK until 1967.) Author, A.J. West, took a few liberties regarding the scope of power enjoyed by justices outside their own jurisdictions but the book is, for the most part, based on actual events. While I might not call The Betrayal of Thomas True exactly enjoyable, it is a compelling and thrilling page-turner that kept me up well into the night as I raced towards the shocking finale.
The Death of Hyacinthus (1753) by Giambattista Tiepollo
Afterthoughts: It is important to point out that, while we have been discussing a fictionalized tale set in a specific time and place, the incidents described in the book are of no little consequence in the 21st Century. The United States--which is very far from united--is not without its own (well-documented) record of hatred and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community, especially since the end of WWII. At the moment I am writing this, in the year 2025, my own government--the second Trump Administration--currently poses the gravest threat we have faced as LGBTQ+ people in the history of our nation, perhaps even more so than the AIDS epidemic. But try as they might to stamp out our existence, the fact remains that we have always been here. And we always will be, even if the haters and religious bigots drive us back into the shadows. We will find our chosen families, we will stand together and rise again another day. As is the common refrain of the mollies in The Betrayal of Thomas True: ALWAYS TOGETHER.
Leonidas at Thermopylae (1814) by Jacques-Louis David
Molly houses are not establishments regularly covered in History 101, or even in Lucy Worsley's highly regarded documentary programs on PBS. In fact, unless you're a gay British scholar you are unlikely to have come across the term "molly house". And yet, in London during the 18th and early 19th centuries, molly houses were infamous. Under cover of darkness, sodomites (or "mollies", hence the term molly house) gathered in secret meeting places to socialize with other like-minded men. 200+ years ago, "gay" was not a term used to describe this much vilified group of degenerates. Our modern equivalent of a molly house would be a combination gay bar, drag venue, sex club, and relatively safe haven for outcasts to form chosen families when they were cast out by their own. Not unlike more recent times, there were frequent raids on molly houses, depending on the whims of a constabulary willing to overlook these illegal establishments in exchange for payments. However, once the extorted money was handed over, it was never certain whether the authorities would honor the agreement. Sadly, sodomy was considered a capital offense in not-so-merry Olde England and many habitues of molly houses, parks and male brothels were entrapped by overzealous justice officials and vigilante groups. Tortured, imprisoned, pilloried and often hanged, the mollies (gay/bi/trans) had to remain on constant alert for blackmailers, and spies planted by pious dogmatists and dodgy public officials seeking to destroy them (or, according to the religiofascists, "save their souls").
A.J. West's new novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, set in 1715, introduces us to Thomas True, a beautiful, kind and incredibly naive young man who has spent his life in torment thanks to the near-constant abuse from his monstrous father for straying from god's path. Seen as being different, Thomas's otherness has also made him the target of cruelty and violence at the hands of the god-fearing villagers of this hellish place. Thomas's desire to escape the fire-and-brimstone wrath of his father (and his father's flock), comes to fruition when he turns 20, packs his bags and catches a coach heading to London. Thomas hopes to get lost in the anonymity of the city while, at the same time, seeking out the companionship of others like himself. Thomas's ultimate goal is to find one great love who will return his love. To secure gainful employment and ensure a roof over his head, Thomas makes his way to the home of his aunt and uncle, and his first cousin, Abigail, a great friend and confidante from his childhood whose love for Thomas has remained constant. Thomas is immediately put to work as an apprentice candlemaker and assigned a room in the garret of this odd family's home. The uncle is delighted with Thomas's work, but the aunt is less enthused by his presence; there's definitely something off about him, she thinks.
At night, after everyone retires to their bedrooms, Thomas ventures out into the London night and soon finds his tribe, leading him to the notorious molly house known as Mother Claps (a real-life London establishment from 1724-26). Initially, Thomas is--somewhat warily--welcomed into the fold; after all, he's a complete stranger who suddenly showed up out of nowhere. But, being young, beautiful and charming, he arouses both the lust and jealousy of the clientele. For his part, Thomas is enchanted with the place, with mollies (even the butch ones) dressing in women's clothes, christening one another with women's names, gossiping, drinking and dancing together as if they hadn't a care in the world.
Detail from Sistine Chapel (1508-12) by Michelangelo
Thomas meets Mother Claps burly doorman, Gabriel, and an instant attraction springs up between them. Rough-hewn Gabriel, having lost his wife and baby a year earlier is still grieving for them, which makes things a bit tough as pretty boy Thomas attempts to get better acquainted. In fact, even though he works the door at Mother Claps and occasionally dresses up, himself, it's not clear if Gabriel has ever been with another man (Thomas has decidedly not). Hoping to remedy the situation, Thomas becomes more and more available to (and infatuated with) Gabriel, who is fighting against the tide of his own strong emotions. Then, several mollies fall victim to arrest and the most grotesque barbarities. To his dismay, some of Thomas's new friends perceive him to be the traitor in their midst known as "The Rat", a mysterious, malign figure who reports the names of sodomites for monetary gain.
Detail from painting by Ali Franco
Outraged by the unfairness of the accusations, Thomas finds himself sinking into a quagmire of treachery as the evidence against him piles up. It turns out that Gabriel may be his only hope, but the mercurial doorman happens to be in the covert employ of a local magistrate who has his own reasons for silencing The Rat. Despite the fraught, provocative friendship developing between the two men, they wind up joining forces to bring down the Judas wreaking such havoc on their brotherhood. Will Gabriel be able to identify The Rat and save Thomas from the aggressive behavior of the rabid mobs and blood-thirsty judiciary? Or will one of the pair be revealed to have been The Rat all along?
Part mystery, part adventure, part romance, The Betrayal of Thomas True plays out its tragic narrative against a backdrop of--lawfully condoned--extreme cruelty and blood-drenched savagery. This is a world where grandstands were erected to accommodate enthusiastic crowds attending public executions, a world where loving someone could get you tortured to the point of death. In this world, the women were, in fact, as fierce as their menfolk when it came to meting out punishment to godless sinners. Safe havens, it turns out, are a delusion in the world of the mollies.
While Thomas True is a work of fiction, it is based on documented facts. Gay men have been singled out for persecution throughout history, nowhere more than in England, where being gay was a capital offense until 1861. (Homosexuality wasn't decriminalized in the UK until 1967.) Author, A.J. West, took a few liberties regarding the scope of power enjoyed by justices outside their own jurisdictions but the book is, for the most part, based on actual events. While I might not call The Betrayal of Thomas True exactly enjoyable, it is a compelling and thrilling page-turner that kept me up well into the night as I raced towards the shocking finale.
Afterthoughts: It is important to point out that, while we have been discussing a fictionalized tale set in a specific time and place, the incidents described in the book are of no little consequence in the 21st Century. The United States--which is very far from united--is not without its own (well-documented) record of hatred and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community, especially since the end of WWII. At the moment I am writing this, in the year 2025, my own government--the second Trump Administration--currently poses the gravest threat we have faced as LGBTQ+ people in the history of our nation, perhaps even more so than the AIDS epidemic. But try as they might to stamp out our existence, the fact remains that we have always been here. And we always will be, even if the haters and religious bigots drive us back into the shadows. We will find our chosen families, we will stand together and rise again another day. As is the common refrain of the mollies in The Betrayal of Thomas True: ALWAYS TOGETHER.
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