Madeline Kay Sneed explores faith, sexuality, high school football and the complexities of community in her gorgeous, thoughtful debut novel, The Golden Season. Sneed's narrative follows Emmy Quinn, daughter of a West Texas small-town football coach, who loves the game and her dad, Steve, more than almost anything. But spending a few years away at college in a nearby, slightly larger city has given Emmy the confidence to deliver some big news: she's attracted to women, always has been, and has no interest in changing or hiding this part of herself anymore. Emmy's revelation comes right as Steve has landed his dream job as head coach of the Steinbeck Mustangs, and the novel explores the challenges father and daughter face as the 'Stangs pursue a bid for a state championship.
Sneed captures the climate, both geographical and social, of West Texas: hot, dry fields crisscrossed by seemingly endless highways, which lead to physical horizons much wider than the social ones in Steinbeck. High school football plays a pivotal role in the town's life, and both players and coaches are idolized and scrutinized. After years of patient toil as an assistant coach, Steve knows he's got one shot to succeed as head coach. He adores his daughter, but he's convinced her sexuality is a sin--and both Steve's pastor and the president of his booster club let him know in no uncertain terms that Emmy's news and his new job won't mix.
Sneed sensitively captures the challenges her characters face: Steve, longing to prove himself on the biggest stage Steinbeck has to offer, aching to share the experience with his daughter but struggling with what he's always been told about "those people." Emmy herself gradually blossoms as she embarks on her first relationship with a woman: Cameron, a whip-smart graduate student from Massachusetts. Emmy relishes discovering this previously hidden side of herself, but the longer she and Cameron are together, the more Cameron's possessiveness--and her complete dismissal of Emmy's family and her roots--worries her. Emmy's mom, Lucy, isn't sure at first what to think of her daughter's confession, but gradually comes to accept Emmy for who she is, including a Thanksgiving meal with Emmy and Cameron that is both awkward and tender.
A native Texan, Sneed renders the social landscape in pitch-perfect detail, from the bless-your-heart church ladies to the hipster pastor to the wise friendship that comes from sometimes unexpected quarters. Emmy's journey toward acceptance--from her parents and of herself--isn't nearly as clear-cut as a high school football season. But in Sneed's hands, Emmy's personal challenges and the Mustangs' quest for a state title are vivid, layered and ultimately satisfying. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams
Shelf Talker: Madeline Kay Sneed explores faith, sexuality, family and Texas high school football in her thoughtful, gorgeous debut novel.