Love, Honor, Betray (Lexington, Alabama, 3)
Love, Honor, Betray is Mary Monroe’s third novel in her Lexington, Alabama series. This award-winning African-American author has penned a Depression-era story jammed packed with drama and suspense in a Southern town. It features a husband-wife pair, Hubert and Jessie, each hiding a secret lover from the other. Both their lovers are male. Hubert risks his jobs and his status as the son of a fiery preacher if the community finds out. Jessie risks her pristine reputation as an upstanding Christian woman.
The tension in each page is palpable. Hubert sneaks into a nearby town for trysts with his lover, praying that no one sees them together or recognizes him. He has told Jessie he is unable to consummate their marriage, and she is desperate for sexual release. Her lover is from their own small community, and every meeting is a threat to their secrecy. The reader knows a crisis is coming, and yet clever plot twists hold it off time and again.
This story is filled with details from the economic disaster of the Depression in the South, the discrimination prevalent against Blacks, the easy availability of moonshine and hidden establishments as a chance to let loose and enjoy life, the importance of one’s stainless reputation, and the unending curiosity of friends and neighbors about each other’s activities. Diving into these details is a significant part of the pleasure of reading this book.
