Reading Room - My Beautiful Laundrette

[murphybabe]

Okay, here we go. This is my first review, so please forgive me if it’s not quite what you expect. My purpose is to give you an outline and some tasters, to share my thoughts on what worked for me and what didn’t work as well, and – hopefully – to prompt some discussion.

This is a series of letters between Bodie and Doyle. They are sharing Doyle’s flat (although we never quite learn why) but on different shifts, so their only means of communication is to leave notes for each other. The notes start as practical (and funny) exchanges, to do with needing more milk and taking washing to Morag at the laundrette, but gradually evolve into something much deeper.



We start with a furious Bodie: “Where the fuck did you leave my shirt?” but after a couple of exchanges about the shirt, Doyle slips in a casual-sounding question about what happened last night – “Jax said it got a bit nasty.” This sets the pattern throughout the exchange, with a nice mix of banter, innuendo and subtle caring. They are not in a physical relationship at the start of the piece, but through their exchanges we can see that they are emotionally involved, even if they haven’t realised it yet. There are references to things we see in the episodes, such as the laundrette and Brownie’s boat, and there is much squabbling about paying for the milk etc.

There are passing comments about what each is working on, and funny sideline stories about how Doyle’s washing ended up with green streaks – although I wasn’t aware that bloomers would have been made from dark green flannel! But between the humorous bits in the notes are wistful references to missing the other half of the duo – “Wish you could phone me. Feels like months since I saw your ugly mug.” The writer then backpedals quickly with a comment about “Need to be reminded how incredibly handsome I am and no one does that better than you.”

We also get glimpses of what each partner is doing, so it turns out that Doyle is on so-called light duties with new recruits, having been injured. Bodie’s reference to this is, “Didn’t Cowley say something about ‘light duties’ until diddums was all better?”

But in amongst the teasing and jeering are signs of concern for Doyle: “Got you some stuff from the dairy on the corner on the way home. Could do with some meat on your bones, going by last time I saw you.”

Doyle’s reaction to this kindness is fairly typical: “Thanks for the stuff from the dairy, but could you get margarine next time? Don’t use butter.” Ingratitude!

So there were lots of bits of this story I liked. The joking around was very true to life, and the way that a bit of feeling showed through and was then quickly followed by a joke felt right to me, as I don’t think blokes are particularly good at divulging feelings – especially not in ‘70s Britain.

Where I struggled was with the revelations. I can easily believe that they are sharing a flat and they are both on different shifts. I have no trouble seeing the banter and the rough caring between the two of them, as this is what I see in the episodes. Each one is careful how they take care of the other, not wanting to be seen as soft. My difficulty comes when Bodie decides to bare all, metaphorically, and admits that he is gay. From an organisation that is so security conscious, leaving letters lying around a flat stating that you are at the very least bi-sexual seems unlikely, to say the least. I found it unlikely that either man would detail their first experiences in notes to their partner. So Bodie’s, “Believe me, mate, you don’t want all the truth.” – followed by a detailed explanation of the truth didn’t work for me at all.

Another thing that grated slightly was the language. I would have found the strong language true to life verbally. I’m not as convinced that Bodie or Doyle would have written it like that. As my English teacher used to tell me, if you use profanity too much it loses its effect, and this is what happened here a little for me. I understand the use of emphatic language to make a point, and to illustrate the strong feelings and emotions. I’m not as sure that it worked all the way through for me. The bit that worked well, however, was Bodie’s angry note after Doyle telephoned him – and for which he apologised in his next billet doux.

I liked the way Bodie confessed all and reassured Doyle that it wouldn’t change anything and that he was still quite safe. I also found it quite typical that Doyle needled him into confessing and then told him that he knew anyway! “You’ve never kept your paws to yourself before, Paddington, so why should I believe you now?”

And thankfully, there is a happy ending, although inevitably Cowley intervenes – but after a successful consummation and the start of a happy ever after.

Here’s my problem, then: when there is no description and all the text is first person, how do you make it more believable? Or were you – unlike me - able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the letters? Discuss.

Comments

[margaret-r.livejournal.com]

Like you, I enjoyed the gradual unfolding of their concern and feeling for each other between the banter and the gripes about laundry and milk collecting but the drift into ‘true confessions’ was a little too unrealistic. I doubt any man would write down such revealing material about themselves without being sure of the reaction it would provoke or put in writing the truth of what happened during the ‘incident’ with the ambassador, such a security risk would be unthinkable and Bodie had far too much to lose if anyone other than Doyle read the note. But, that aside once they did get into the discussion on their feelings for each it was sweetly done. And I also agree with you on the language. It’s common to use strong language in speech but I think rare for most people to use it to such an extent in the written form and it had the effect of throwing me out of the 'conversation'.

Here’s my problem, then: when there is no description and all the text is first person, how do you make it more believable? Or were you – unlike me - able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the letters? Discuss.

I need it to be believable, and there were sections of the correspondence that I felt weren’t. That didn’t necessarily spoil the whole fic for me, just made me go ‘nah!’ in certain places:) In writing such a piece I think you would have to do the same as you would with any other writing and consider what works as being realistic and what doesn’t and be very aware of the limitations it puts on you. It’s definitely not an easy medium to write in.

[murphybabe]

Thanks for your comments, and thanks also for pointing out something I should have addded - you say that the less-believable bits of the correspondence didn't necessarily spoil the whole fic for you. Me neither - I did enjoy it and I'm not sure this came over in my review. It's just that I need it to hang together a little bit more to add it to my all-time favourite list!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review. I think you did a fine job. I haven't read this particular story. I have read a few "letter" type stories and I can't say I was that crazy about them, but this is on my list. :)

[murphybabe]

Thank you... No, thank YOU!! It's definitely worth reading, and like I said, there were bits that I found very funny, and other bits that were very tender. I think the reason I chose it to review was because I did have something to say about it, whereas something that I love absolutely and without question would have been harder to review. I hope you get to it at some point :)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Yay, it posted!

Great review. I like this story very much, so it was good to see someone look at it a little more critically than I do. I liked the point about how we get little bits of banter and concern interspersed in each one. It made me realise how carefully constructed it all is. It was only when re-reading this week that I noticed that Doyle asks for the truth of the rumour in every single note. Not once does he let it lie.

I absolutely agree about 70s (80s, 90s, 2000s..) blokes and feelings. Some of my favourite Pros fics are the ones where they are most inarticulate, or it's clear that what they're saying is a code for what they'll never be able to say.

On letter-writing. There is a school of thought that writing feelings down is easier than expressing them verbally. Perhaps Bodie subscribes :) Also, Bodie is ex-army, and I have the impression that letter-writing was something that soldiers were familiar with. (In the days before the internet, at least!) But what I notice about these letters is how long they are. I had to copy a lot of stuff out verbatim a while ago, and so I know that I can write a maximum (an absolute maximum) of a thousand words in an hour. And that's when I don't have to think, nor to worry about legibility. These letters must be taking a similar length of time, which is time they complain about not having. Then again, you could make the case that this just shows how important it is to them. And I think the story is well-written enough that it might be a good case, not just a hand-waving exercise.

I can totally hear their voices in the letters, Bodie's especially, but I take your point about not writing as you speak. I can imagine them writing much more formally, actually, and Doyle in particular falling into police-speak after all those years of writing reports. However, the stories in the Oblique zines generally tend to have styles that are very very distinct, and because I know it's from an Oblique zine, I almost expect some jarring in the style.

You have an excellent point about security and leaving letters with this kind of content around. (PFL's 'On Manoeuvres' goes down this route, and I love it.) I've just been reading a book published in 1980 which goes into great detail on the legal issues and how the law was applied (viciously, generally). And there's no question about it: once you get to jobs where positive vetting is involved, gay people need not apply, because they will be out. (Erm. Of a job, I mean.) Every single job in their backstories is a job where you had to stay in the closet: don't know the exact details for the police (but the Met were running entrapment schemes at the time, so I think it's safe to say that workplace tolerance was not universal; but the armed forces were specifically excluded from the 1967 Act; and the merchant navy gets special mention in the Act.

But I actually don't care in the context of this story, because I enjoyed it too much! I love epistolary fiction and fiction told through a variety of third party documents anyway, whether it's The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins) or The Documents in the Case (Dorothy Sayers). Pros fic needs more of it.

I am aware I haven't actually answered your final question yet: I'm still thinking about it...

[murphybabe]

Oh wow, you spotted so much more than I ever did! I never noticed that Doyle asks for the truth in every letter, nor that Bodie may well have been more accustomed to writing letters. Your point about writing feelings down rather than expressing them verbally: it's a more abstract, removed thing to do. If I write something, I don't actually have to say it to you and I don't have to see your reaction as you read it. The down side being, of course, that once it's written it stays written!

And I hadn't thought about the amount of time it takes to write, and and and...

You mentioned Sayers' The Documents in the Case which I love, and I wondered why this worked for me better than My Beautiful Laundrette. Unfortunately I have packed this book (and therefore may never see it again) and can 't remember exactly, but I rather think there was description as well as first-person letter writing - am I right? Anyway, TDITC worked better for me than MBL and I'm trying to work out why. Some of it might be to do with the content, I suppose.

Anyway, thank you for commenting and adding so much more to my review!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Well, you spotted things I didn't, so it all works well!

I can't find my copy of Documents in the Case at the moment either, so I can't check. Argh. I am not sure there was description. I think, though, that some of the letters and statements in that were pages and pages long. Dorothy Sayers did like her letters: there is a whole series of different ones surrounding the wedding in..erm... Busman's Holiday? Can't find that, either! It reminds me of another C20 crime author, Ngaio Marsh. She had Alleyn and Troy separated and writing letters in more than one book, and I really found those difficult: stilted and literary, with no character to them at all. Perhaps it was how people were taught to write them then.

Now I have remembered those, I definitely prefer this story's way of having them write to each other.

[murphybabe]

Yes, Busman's holiday, because we get the different viewpoints of the Dowager Duchess and Helen, for a start. I agree about the letters in Ngaio Marsh's books as well, but she had a much more mannered way of writing, which I always wondered was perhaps an age thing? I can read book after book of Sayers but can only take one at a time of Marsh.

I agree, this is much livelier and a lot more fun.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

I meant to comment earlier but LJ has been playing up... I think I'm here now (*looks around*).

Thanks for the review. My instant response to the story was that it was a fun read but she chose the wrong structure. I agree totally about the language and the whole thing would have been better in phone calls rather than notes. That goes for the disclosures as well as the langauage. People simply don't write the way they talk! They usually either write more formally, or in most of the circumstances in this story, in a kind of note form. The fact that moonlightmead could hear their voices means that as an epistolatory fic it has already, to some extent, failed!

But I enjoyed reading, analysing and reading the review and comments!

[murphybabe]

grrr LJ!

That's interesting, what you say about the wrong structure. I hadn't thought that it would have worked better in phone calls, but I think you're absolutely right - that would have been brilliant, and then all my issues about language would have gone away. Although probably not the issues over security as the phones may have been bugged. Come to think of it, though, is this fanon rather than canon? There's a lot of fiction about Cowley bugging their phones but I don't remember this ever being referred to in the episodes...?

Thank you for your thoughts!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I'm not a great fan of letter-writing stories but your discussion of this particular one actually inspired me to go and take a look at it and I found myself pleasantly surprised. The dialogue in the first part at least was more plausible and much more *them* than some of the other stories I've read in this genre, but I'd have to agree that I don't think I can see Bodie coming out in this way - verbally or even on paper. In fact I'm not even sure how I would categorise Bodie sexually because what he has with Doyle seems to defy, or go beyond, classification.

I really enjoyed your review, thanks!

[murphybabe]

Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. I'm really glad you went to have a look. I agree totally with your remark about the dialogue being plausible in the first part - it does sound just like them, doesn't it? I also found what you said about Bodie's sexuality interesting. Thanks!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Great review! And some good questions! I really enjoyed the story. I found myself smiling quite a bit. My first read through "suspended disbelief" and I just read and enjoyed the letters. But thinking about it, and re-reading, led me to the same thoughts you had - Bodie would not have 'come out' in a letter and the language wasn't always right. The beginning letters were spot on, I loved all the laundry issues! I was also touched by Doyle's constantly asking Bodie for the truth of what happened on the op. I was wondering if it was jealousy or just his copper's nosiness that prompted this. I guess we found out!

Thanks for the review! It took what was a 'light' read for me and forced me into some deeper thoughts.

[murphybabe]

Thanks for commenting, and sorry I'm late responding. I did the same thing - read it through first and enjoyed it, and then went back going, "No, hang on a minute!" I hadn't thought about the jealousy/nosiness thing either, so you gave me something else to thing about - thanks!

[unoriginal-liz.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading this story (late to the party!). I really enjoyed it - and I was so impressed with how very 'them' the early notes seem...the writer really made the whole scenario (which is a difficult one) work, and Bodie and Doyle's correspondence is really IC and them (again, a difficult thing to do). I know someone further up in the comments said that people don't write like they talk (which is absolutely true!), but for a fic - and for a fic like this, I think you DO need to hear Bodie and Doyle's 'voices' in their letters. That's a huge part of the fun - being in on their correspondence, and being able to match it so perfectly to their characters.

Like you, the whole true confessions bit doesn't work for me at all...so I guess I love the story in patches! But with that said, even though I can't at all believe in Bodie's coming out like that...I don't know how else the story could have gone. I mean, the author was really limited in what she could achieve because the format of the fic. Characterwise, you need a proper talk between Bodie and Doyle to sort things out, but you can't 'pull out' of the letters and have a true conversation between the characters without damaging the structure and the central idea of the story. So I think the author was really in a bind.

Thanks so much for your review - I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this fic! :)

[murphybabe]

Well, I'm late responding - sorry about that. You're right, these letters do give us an inside view on B&D's characters, and it's like eavesdropping but fun. I hadn't felt sorry for the author before either, so thank you for giving me that perspective. I think it's a great idea, and there was so much of the characters' liveliness in the whole thing, that the frustrations of Bodie's coming out were almost exacerbated because the rest of the story was so good. Ta for commenting!