“There are no bad deeds larger than love, no words so terrible they cannot be repaired.”
“The Betrayal of Thomas True”, by AJ West
The story:
It is 1715, and Thomas True has always felt like an outsider in his home in the village of Highgate. Escaping to London, he hopes to be his authentic self.
By day he lives with his relatives, the Squink family, as an apprentice candlemaker. And by night, he discovers the outrageous world of the molly houses of London, where he is able to express himself as never before.
Gabriel Griffin is a carpenter who also has a secret to hide, as the faithful guard of Mother Clap’s Molly House. When one of their regulars is found murdered, it’s clear there is a traitor in their midst. Gabriel is determined to find the rat — but will he be able to uncover them in time to save himself, his friends and his blossoming romance with Thomas?
My thoughts:
“The Betrayal of Thomas True” is the second novel by author AJ West (following the award-winning “The Spirit Engineer”), and this time the author takes us further into the past, beautifully conjuring up 18th Century London and the hidden worlds, lives and loves that lie beneath its surface.
I read this book as part of a week-long readalong organised by Insta Book Tours, which really added to my reading experience. Each day me and my fellow readers were prompted to think about the story and our reactions to the section we’d read, and stopping to think in this way, and see how my thoughts compared with everyone else’s, was so interesting and enjoyable.
Thomas True is an immediately likeable character, who mouth has a tendency to run away with him! Finding himself in Mother Clap’s Molly House on his first night in the city brings him into contact with a cast of memorable characters and raises his hopes that he has found his true home.
There are so many characters in this book that won my heart, including the gruff and damaged Gabriel Griffin, whose growing love for Thomas is at odds with his suspicions that he may be the rat who is giving away the names of the mollies to the cruel Justices Grimp and Myre, and the Society for Reformation of Manners. The story is by turns an engaging historical mystery and a heart-wrenching love story, and the author doesn’t shy away from some of the terrible treatment these men were subjected to; but there is also time from some light relief, courtesy of the Squinks, and two of the older mollies, Fump and Vivian.
Another part of the readalong I really appreciated was the chance to have a Q&A chat with the author, the absolutely lovely AJ West, who made so much time for us (and made a nice comment about my cat, so will forever be on my good side!). The ending of the book was a genuinely emotional experience, and I was right there with the characters until the final word. The ending left me shocked, emotional, but also uplifted. Overall, this is a powerful and extremely memorable book with a genuinely good mystery at its centre. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Pages: 320
Published: 4th July 2024
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈/5
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