Reading Room - The White Cloth by Nell Howell

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Title: The White Cloth
Author: Nell Howell
Story available: Roses and Lavender 3 from Allamagoosa Press and online at Nell Howell's Chalk Jottings website
Pairing: B/D, D/C
Further story information found at prosficspoilers
And some further reading: "Some Days Are Better Than Others, N'est-ce Pas?" and "La Perfide Albion" by Jane Carnall (both printed in Nudge Nudge Wink Wink 3 (Manacles Press, 1993).

I've got to say (and I suspect you have a good idea of this already... *g*) that I'm really not very interested in pairings in Pros other than B/D because I just don't see them. There are, though, very specific times when I can read D/C or B/C, and The White Cloth is a perfect example of one of those times....

In The White Cloth, what we see is that the lads absolutely need each other - both falling apart in their own ways when forced apart by the fear that their new relationship can only ever be a shallow sexual thing. Bodie volunteers to go away on a long-term undercover assignment without telling Doyle who is recovering slowly in hospital from a bomb blast, and through Cowley's eyes we watch Doyle dying a little inside. But this is a Cowley who's been through it himself, such a long time ago in Spain, and he determines that Doyle will not be left to become a lonely, passionless workaholic. It seems all very innocent - he takes Doyle home with him to eat and to play chess - but Doyle recognises that Cowley's presence comforts him, takes away the near-panic of Bodie's absence, and he feels there is a price to be paid. Then Bodie comes home. At first Doyle refuses to give Cowley up, though he still wants Bodie, but Cowley of course is wiser than that, and of course the lads end up back together - because I wouldn't be reccing this if it wasn't ultimately a B/D story!

I don't normally go for Cowley-is-gay stories any more than non-B/D stories, but again there are one or two authors who can convince me it might happen, and Nell Howell is one of them. Her Cowley is the Cowley I see on screen, just as her lads are - intelligent and somewhat wise as well, able to learn from experience but human enough to give in to the idea that things can still change, wry and crotchety and sympathetic just as far as he needs to be. I can see Doyle turning to this man in Cowley's absence, not as a replacement, but as a different kind of comfort - work, a challenge, someone who's strong enough for him to fight against when that's what he needs. And Howell convinces me, because she doesn't show me anything of them together at all, doesn't try to convince me that there's any kind of romantic love between them, just two lonely, practical and ultimately passionate men. Cowley sees something of himself in Doyle, and in this story we see it too - it all makes sense.

There's a similar thread to the two other stories mentioned above for further reading - Some Days Are Better Than Others, N'est-ce Pas? and La Perfide Albion by Jane Carnall. In this case it's not loneliness that brings Cowley and Doyle together - at least not overt can't-be-coped-with loneliness, but again there's a recognition between them that at some level they've both met their match, and there's a very human - but not romantic - reason for them to get together, for just a single night. The two stories are really one, seen from first Doyle's and then Cowley's point of view, and from that order we see what's really going on, that Cowley has come to France (interupting Doyle's holiday and turning him into a bodyguard for the duration) not just to say goodbye to an old friend, but to send him to his death - a death that his friend also recognises will come. The D/C relationship arises not out of Cowley needing such comfort, or Doyle feeling overly protective, but you get the feeling that they do both know that something they can give will help, and that in the morning it truly will be, if not forgotten, never mentioned again. And this, the subtlety of the emotion here, just as in The White Cloth is what convinces me that it just might happen for the space of this story...

I think my problem with most B/C stories (by far more common than D/C) is that they are absolutely about some kind of romantic love between Bodie and Cowley, and because that's not something I see in their characters at all, I just can't buy into those stories. Again there are one or two exceptions, and again they're where it's ultimately a B/D story, interupted briefly for a moment of B/C. For the life of me I can't remember either title, but in one Cowley checks on his men one night when they've all been on an operation in a (?) monastery and finds the lads together in bed. Doyle is asleep, but Bodie sees that Cowley is there, and they have a whispered discussion about why Bodie will always choose Doyle. (The Small Rain also (coincidentally!) by Nell Howell - thank you metabollick!) In the other story (memory fading, so forgive any inaccuracies), Bodie recognises that Cowley has genuinely fancied him for years, but refused to do anything about it, and he offers himself as a kind of respectful gratitude, although it's Doyle he actually wants. Cowley refuses him, but accepts the chance to see Bodie having sex with Doyle, just once. Doyle agrees to this, in the spirit of willing-to-try-anything-once, and there's what I think is a very poignant voyeur scene that both reassures me the lads are truly together, and also that Cowley is an honourable, genuine gentleman.

And that, I think, is at the heart of the characterisation I look for in Prosfic, because that's how I see the three main characters on screen - the lads meant to be together, and Cowley as a man with his own sense of honour and honesty. Other plot twists need to work around that - and The White Cloth, Some Days Are Better Than Others, N'est-ce Pas?/La Perfide Albion and the other two, do just that...

Comments

[izzie7.livejournal.com]

I first read The White Cloth some years ago now, but it is one of those stories which has stayed with me. There are some unusually vivid moments, like this:
Blunt fingers stroked over his hair, mouth moueing at the crop, a curl pulled gently out to its fullest, short length and let go to snap back.
in fact, that whole scene in Doyle's kitchen after Bodie's return is painful to read - I almost said 'to watch', as it unfolds with great clarity.

Also, those hints of Cowley's youth - his mam, his time fighting -effectively make him more human, which sets up his ultimate decision to encourage Doyle to go after a life that includes love rather than just duty.

An excellent story & a good rec. I really enjoyed rereading this.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The White Cloth has always been on my list of this is a great reads as well, but I've not re-read it for years so it was a fab surprise to come back to it! I didn't even remember it as D/C in particular, which just goes to show how subtley it was done, I think. But yes! I liked the glimpses we had of Cowley's past too - it didn't overshadow the focus being on B/D, but it gave us a bit more of Cowley to conjure with, a way to feel who he was rather than just their boss/a lonely old man...

So glad you liked it! If you can get hold of the others, they're rather good too... *g*

[cloudless-9193.livejournal.com]

I've seen it mentioned and recced every so often but couldn't bring myself to read it due to the D/C pairing. Your review sounds really interesting and kind of reassuring and I think I will give it a try. So thanks for this rec! :-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh I am glad you're going to give it a try! I know what you mean about being put off by the pairing - I rather think that when I read it I didn't have that information in front of me (probably via Circuit's "random" button) and so I just dived in - and the writing's good, and the approach is subtle, so I barely even noticed it until it was already something more, if you know what I mean...

You'll have to let me know what you think!

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

I can see how this is a story that stays with you.
I've never encountered D/C before and didn't expect it to do much for me, but here I am persuaded that the two identify with each other to some extent, and each has a different need, which at that time brings them together.
But it seemed very right too that Cowley should call an end to the intimate relationship once Bodie returned and Doyle was clearly drawn back to Bodie. And very in character that Doyle would want to honour his relationship with Cowley until expressly sent away. The scenes where Bodie returns are wonderfully vivid - Doyle is tempted but trying to be principled, at the same time as wanting to express his anger without totally rejecting Bodie.

Near the end, I loved this image and the sense of relief with it:
Headlights coursed along the street, slithering eel-like over the curve of his mudguard, interrupting his mute litany. The car snugged itself with neat economy next to his own. Exactly where it belonged.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I think I originally came across it without knowing it was D/C, and because it doesn't smack you over the head with it - it's part of the story, rather than the story being part of D/C if you know what I mean - I kept reading because it was the story that had convinced me, and it also went on to convince me that perhaps this could happen, which if I'd just seen a "D/C" label I might automatically have assumed not (as I have on many other occasions!)

But it seemed very right too that Cowley should call an end to the intimate relationship once Bodie returned and Doyle was clearly drawn back to Bodie. And very in character that Doyle would want to honour
Yes, I think that's just it - Howell absolutely caught me, because that's just I do see them both acting, she made me believe it! I really do think it's down to the way she made it not romantic between them too - she didn't try to make more of it than I think it possibly can be, since B/D is to me an OTP...

And hee for the quote you chose - I think it was you gave me the Capris kissing prompt for One Summer too, didn't you! *g*

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Cars - I wasn't thinking of the Capris at all, funny that. I could go on about the car being an extension of male personality, but I don't think that's how it was meant here.

I just loved the image of the light from Doyle's car touching and reflecting off Bodie's. And that situation of waiting outside an absent lover's place, and hoping, and wondering - she'd got me sitting right there with Bodie and I really felt/saw that headlight beam.

After writing late last night, I remembered one of the qualities of this fic, which possibly is what makes it so memorable, is that the characters are somehow tangible. Nell Howell's descriptions of movements and bodies and sounds gives them a real physical presence.

Thanks for the rec.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

This is something like the 4th time I've tried to read this fic without success. It's not poorly written or anything, but there's just something about it that doesn't pull me in or hold my interest.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wonder what that something is - for me it's the exact opposite, where most B/C stories don't grab me at all, this D/C story absolutely does... Do you think your not-liking this one fits in with your other story likes and dislikes? Is it the pairing, d'you think, or that the focus is largely non-Bodie, or...?

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

Normally a Doyle-whumper would be right up my street. I think part of it was that there was too much Cowley introspection in what should have been a more tension-filled part of the story (where they were trapped under the rubble). Part of it may also be that while I like Cowley, I like him more in a supporting role. I'm just not that interested in him to read a fic where he has such a major part. Okay, and the mental image of Cowley having sex breaks my brain.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Sorry - late getting back again...

I know what you mean about there being alot of Cowley, cos to be honest I'm not particularly interested in the poor man either. Now and then though an author will hold my attention, or if she's showing me B/D through Cowley's eyes then I'll be interested too, and Nell Howell did both of those for me, here... If his parts hadn't been mostly about B/D then I'd've been less interested too...

And yeah, I don't want to know about Cowley slash, in the general run of thing! I respect him for his other qualities!

[metabolick.livejournal.com]

The first B/C story you mentioned is The Small Rain also by Nell Howell. The second one I know nothing about.

It's been such a long time since I've read The White Cloth. I don't remember enough to add to the current discussion. Perhaps I should remedy that!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah thank you - of course it's The Small Rain (http://nell.ckrweb.net/fiction/smallrain.html), and how funny that it was also by Nell Howell!

I've a feeling the second one is in a zine, and I know I sent it to Francis Kerst some years ago - I shall have to hope that she drops in!

The White Cloth is definitely worth a re-read though!

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

Sorry to be late to the discussion. (As usual.)

I'm noticing a pattern. Many of the recs -- my own and others -- are stories that originally did little for me, but that I've come to appreciate on later rereads.

In this one there was initially too much Cowley for me, and Bodie taking off when he does, really bothered me. I think this is what sometimes happens...I was judging the story by the criteria of the story I wanted it to be. And it wasn't that story. The second time I read it, I simply read it for the story it was, and I really enjoyed it.

I was able to believe in a D/C relationship given this particular set of circumstances (although I must agree that I generally have no interest beyond the academic in such pairings and never find them believable when they are -- as you state -- based on a romantic rather than pragmatic foundation). I believed it here and I found it touching. I could understand what each offered the other.

I like Howell's writing a lot. It's precise, unfussy, and very visual. She does a good job capturing character and voice. When it comes to the details of the lads' work and home life, she's accurate without belaboring.

Anyway, thanks for the excuse to reread this one.

Oh, you mentioned "The Small Rain." That's one of my all time favorite stories. Such a little bit of a story -- and yet it covers so much emotional ground.

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Hi there
I'm noticing a pattern. Many of the recs -- my own and others -- are stories that originally did little for me, but that I've come to appreciate on later rereads.
That's a really interesting point. Perhaps these are more complex and layered stories (not necessarily in the plot, but maybe in the writing style, or the relationships depicted). They are also fics that readers differ over. In contrast, when one reccs a fic that has instant and wideranging appeal there isn't much to say about it except "Yeah, I love it too". Generally, I'm all for the latter kind, as romance and pleasure is my main reason for reading Pros fic.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm playing catch-up myself yet again, so no worries... besides, lj's good like that - if you want to go back to something from three years ago the thread's there waiting for you! *g*

I've got to admit that I tend to be more of a first-read-grabs-me-or-not kind of person, but there are definitely stories that I've liked better over time. Larton is one of them, still coming up - though I did like it straight away... In fact, when I think about it, I'm more likely to have gone the other way - too much re-reading in some cases shows me flaws that I happily glossed over the first time! As you've said in one of our previous conversations - it's so interesting the way the reading-brain works! *g*

I suppose the best stories grip you once, and then show you more and more each time you read them - and there are quite alot of those, for me, in Pros! Nell Howell writes some of them too, so I'm glad you like them too!

The idea of reading a story for itself, rather than for what we want it to be is interesting too - and I think fanfic lends itself to all sorts of muddles along that theme! I know that I want the characters I see on screen - but of course since other people see them differently, that's going to be an issue. Then writers might want to explore avenues down which we don't personally want to go, whether or not it fits with their online characters, and... in a way it's amazing that we all like the amount of Prosfic that we do! *g*

[raven-rs.livejournal.com]

I confess, I normally avoid any Cowley pairing like the plague. I know, I know - some people love them, but you know the old saying : you can't please all of the people all of the time. And Cowley just doesn't do it for me; I can't see it, and what's more, I don't *want* to. But *this* works for me. This mutual need, mutual loneliness, but the ending the right way around - it fits. It's not romance that brings D/C together, but - well - mutual convenience, I suppose. The real romance is still the B/D pairing, and that's what works. The writing flows nicely, the imagery is spot on. The characters are all there, where they should be, doing and saying what they should. It sticks in your mind the way good writing should.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean - I avoid Cowley pairings too! To be honest, I think that although there are some people who like them, it's a fairly small minority... I'm glad this one works for you too, though! I think it works for me because it doesn't try to over-romanticise the Cowley pairing - or Cowley himself, for that matter - but it doesn't try to write Cowley as pr0n either, which is the other way authors often seem to go... Cowley can have sex too - well, okay, but I still don't want to see it... it just doesn't match with what I see on screen!

[raven-rs.livejournal.com]

Yep. That about sums it up. It's not romanticising the pairing. No great love affair. I mean, you can sort of see Doyle doing it out of a sense of loyalty and companionship. Just. Sort of. Once or twice.