THE GIFT

Terry’s historical novel chronicles the lives of an increasingly devout mother, her gay son, and an unexpected father figure.

Pansy Blackwell’s life has been shaped by hardship. She’s just a teenager in the Five Points area of Denver in the late 1950s when her father murders her mother, and she’s sent to live with an unknown uncle in Salt Lake City. Seeking stability, Pansy later mistakes desire for love and attempts to marry a man named Ace Sharkey, only for him to rob her and disappear. Alone and pregnant, she turns to a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who offer her solace and a place to live. But as she raises her son, William Blackwell, she becomes increasingly consumed by religious fervor and overcompensates for her chaotic life by strictly observing religious doctrines. Her son grows up under the influence of his neighbor Steve Bultemeyer, a rancher who teaches him the values of cowboy life and gives him the nickname “Butch.” Steve teaches him resilience and independence, but when William realizes he’s gay, he finds that he’s in a community that won’t accept him for who he is. He decides to keep his identity hidden, due to societal expectations; however, as he goes on to face various struggles in his life, he does his best to live authentically. Terry’s portrayal of William’s relationship with Steve is compelling and a refreshing take on masculinity and parenthood. Steve is a tender man who offers his support to William without forcing him to conform. Although William’s story is one of uplift and survival, Pansy’s is not; readers observe, at length, her transformation from a caring person to a bitter and oppressive one, trapped in a belief within a world that’s ending and driving her son away. The emphasis on her story seems excessive at times, but the novel is otherwise convincing in its portrayal of the ties between religion, family, and identity. Its portraits of rural gay life and fatherhood are particularly refreshing.

An often engaging family saga.