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A review by ariqua
The Golden Season by Madeline Kay Sneed
5.0
This book. Honestly everyone should read this book, but especially if you are queer and from the Christian church. Or if you are queer and have friends in the church. Or if you are in the church and have queer friends or even just know someone queer. My heart was broken so many times over.
CW: homophobia, mention of conversion therapy, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, patriarchy, bible hymns and passages and stories
Rep: lesbian MC, two lesbian SC, black SC
The premise of the novel is a lesbian coming out story in a small, conservative Christian town in Texas and the process of finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her coming out. And also a lot of football and bible story/verse references. A little knowledge of both will make this easier to understand and relate to, but I don't think it's nessessary to understanding the novel as a whole.
But honestly it's so much more than that. It's beautifully written and had so many parallels to my own life as a queer in a small Christian town in Canada. There are so many quotes that were like a sucker punch to the gut or a healing breath of air.
Moving into more spoiler territory for the plot, our MC Emmy tells her divorced parents that she is a lesbian and has no more intentions of hiding it. The book has many flashback to her lesbian childhood moments and how she tries to repress it because non affirming churches are dumb. She had to deal with so much internal and external homophobia throughout her life from herself, the church, and especially from her father, which is the main relationship conflict of the novel. They grow from being so close to him kicking her out when she comes out to him. He is willing to cut her out of his life in an attempt to save her soul from eternal damnation due to her sin, which damages both of them more than sin ever could in my opinion.
The patriarchy and heteronormativity/amatonormativity in the church is also addressed. Which, as an aro/ace individual, are some of my strongest irritations in life. Oh, and the church being full of a bunch of hypocrites. Lots of that too.
After she is kicked out by her loving but also toxic father and returns to college, she is introduced to Cameron; her soon to be extremely toxic girlfriend.
There are red flags right from the beginning, but our poor girl is heartbroken and has been offered love by someone who accepts the parts of her that were rejected by her family. I can't fault her at all for that decision.
On to some quotes that really spoke to me. "You know how it is. Men in power in places like West Texas, ruled by Southern Baptists. Personal life has to be spotless. Cut out the blemishes if they can't get washed clean." That is basically the entire personality of her father and the preacher, and so many people I know in the church. I do really know how it is.
"I hope you never know it. That feeling. Not being good enough for what you love." And again later, " And you know what it's like. To love a place that hates you." If that didn't punch me right in the feels. I know it so well and I wish I didn't. That feeling of longing to be accepted for who you are when you accept everyone for who they are, including their flaws. Even the physical location of a place. Steinbeck is it's own character on the novel. Someone who keeps drawing you back, even though you know no one wants you there.
"What Cameron didn't understand, though, was that it was a form of grief, Emmy loosing him (her father) like this." Romantic heartbreak is not the only heartbreak and it isn't something that is talked about enough. It hurts just as much, if not more, when it comes from someone who has been in your life a lot longer than a romantic partner.
"Are you broken?... A boy likes you" "My mama told me you gotta go out there and get your man before he gets got by some other girl." Like the audacity of the amato/heteronormativity. For kids to be thinking this at such a young age is frightening. And if it doesn't frighten you, you might want to do some soul searching. The damage this causes kids, not just queer ones, is atrocious.
And the question that all of us in the church ask at one point, "God had... What had God done, besides nothing?" Emmy has some issues in the church, obviously, but she still tries to find peace and belonging in the church. Even after she is kicked out of the Christmas Eve services so as not to give kids the 'wrong idea' she still goes back to sit in the silence and peace the empty building brings her.
"Love's an open home, baby. It's always been that way". This one is from our black side character. He is a childhood friend of Emmy's, an ally, and not a love interest and I really appreciate that. Yes she's a lesbian, but still. Someone, somewhere would try and put them together because 'everyone' loves friends to lovers. I love the solid, platonic friendship that sticks with her through her ups and downs of the book. They are 'just' friends and it's wonderful.
That being said, we are introduced to Emmy's first love and childhood friend during the flashbacks. It reminds me that us queers seem to find each other even when you don't think there is anyone else like you and I think that's beautiful.
The character of Sara is also quite moving. She is who Emmy could be if she rejects the queer part of her in order to fit in to the places she loves, but hate her. She went through conversation therapy and goes into some details about that part of her life in the novel.
In any case, I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for the rest of my life. Go support your local library and/or bookstore (if you can) and make sure you get a box of tissues too.
CW: homophobia, mention of conversion therapy, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, patriarchy, bible hymns and passages and stories
Rep: lesbian MC, two lesbian SC, black SC
The premise of the novel is a lesbian coming out story in a small, conservative Christian town in Texas and the process of finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her coming out. And also a lot of football and bible story/verse references. A little knowledge of both will make this easier to understand and relate to, but I don't think it's nessessary to understanding the novel as a whole.
But honestly it's so much more than that. It's beautifully written and had so many parallels to my own life as a queer in a small Christian town in Canada. There are so many quotes that were like a sucker punch to the gut or a healing breath of air.
Moving into more spoiler territory for the plot, our MC Emmy tells her divorced parents that she is a lesbian and has no more intentions of hiding it. The book has many flashback to her lesbian childhood moments and how she tries to repress it because non affirming churches are dumb. She had to deal with so much internal and external homophobia throughout her life from herself, the church, and especially from her father, which is the main relationship conflict of the novel. They grow from being so close to him kicking her out when she comes out to him. He is willing to cut her out of his life in an attempt to save her soul from eternal damnation due to her sin, which damages both of them more than sin ever could in my opinion.
The patriarchy and heteronormativity/amatonormativity in the church is also addressed. Which, as an aro/ace individual, are some of my strongest irritations in life. Oh, and the church being full of a bunch of hypocrites. Lots of that too.
After she is kicked out by her loving but also toxic father and returns to college, she is introduced to Cameron; her soon to be extremely toxic girlfriend.
There are red flags right from the beginning, but our poor girl is heartbroken and has been offered love by someone who accepts the parts of her that were rejected by her family. I can't fault her at all for that decision.
On to some quotes that really spoke to me. "You know how it is. Men in power in places like West Texas, ruled by Southern Baptists. Personal life has to be spotless. Cut out the blemishes if they can't get washed clean." That is basically the entire personality of her father and the preacher, and so many people I know in the church. I do really know how it is.
"I hope you never know it. That feeling. Not being good enough for what you love." And again later, " And you know what it's like. To love a place that hates you." If that didn't punch me right in the feels. I know it so well and I wish I didn't. That feeling of longing to be accepted for who you are when you accept everyone for who they are, including their flaws. Even the physical location of a place. Steinbeck is it's own character on the novel. Someone who keeps drawing you back, even though you know no one wants you there.
"What Cameron didn't understand, though, was that it was a form of grief, Emmy loosing him (her father) like this." Romantic heartbreak is not the only heartbreak and it isn't something that is talked about enough. It hurts just as much, if not more, when it comes from someone who has been in your life a lot longer than a romantic partner.
"Are you broken?... A boy likes you" "My mama told me you gotta go out there and get your man before he gets got by some other girl." Like the audacity of the amato/heteronormativity. For kids to be thinking this at such a young age is frightening. And if it doesn't frighten you, you might want to do some soul searching. The damage this causes kids, not just queer ones, is atrocious.
And the question that all of us in the church ask at one point, "God had... What had God done, besides nothing?" Emmy has some issues in the church, obviously, but she still tries to find peace and belonging in the church. Even after she is kicked out of the Christmas Eve services so as not to give kids the 'wrong idea' she still goes back to sit in the silence and peace the empty building brings her.
"Love's an open home, baby. It's always been that way". This one is from our black side character. He is a childhood friend of Emmy's, an ally, and not a love interest and I really appreciate that. Yes she's a lesbian, but still. Someone, somewhere would try and put them together because 'everyone' loves friends to lovers. I love the solid, platonic friendship that sticks with her through her ups and downs of the book. They are 'just' friends and it's wonderful.
That being said, we are introduced to Emmy's first love and childhood friend during the flashbacks. It reminds me that us queers seem to find each other even when you don't think there is anyone else like you and I think that's beautiful.
The character of Sara is also quite moving. She is who Emmy could be if she rejects the queer part of her in order to fit in to the places she loves, but hate her. She went through conversation therapy and goes into some details about that part of her life in the novel.
In any case, I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for the rest of my life. Go support your local library and/or bookstore (if you can) and make sure you get a box of tissues too.