When we first meet Yvonne and Yvette, the twin sisters at the heart of Edmund White’s A Saint From Texas, they seem straight out of The Last Picture Show. They’re growing up in the 1950s in the fading oil town of Ranger, with their abusive millionaire father and socially striving stepmother, living in an old-school ranch-style house and spending most of their time in either school or church. They even pronounce their names in a uniquely Texan way: “Why-Von” and “Why-Vet.” (They know the real pronunciations, but refuse to “say them proper.”)
Texans have a well-earned reputation for going their own way, and so does White, known as one of the most influential voices in the queer literary tradition. Though a departure from White’s usual fare, A Saint From Texas is a literary firecracker that depicts the Lone Star State with accuracy and nuance through the stories of two unforgettable characters. An Ohio native who grew up in Chicago and has lived for years in New York, White gets the accents and attitudes right, and never comes across as patronizing to Texans. (This is, we all know, a rare feat for a non-Texan.)
At age 14, Yvonne and Yvette move with their parents to Dallas, and it’s there that their lives begin to deviate dramatically. Yvonne is determined to live what she sees as a typical Dallas life—she gossips with her best friend, sneaks cigarettes behind her dad’s back, and makes her debut at an elaborate and expensive cotillion.
