FF Friday

Proper English is a historical (1900s) romance-cum-murder mystery, the prequel to Charles' m/m thriller/romance Think of England. I read both back to back, and found that Proper English sat rather less comfortably within its secondary genre than Think of England did. However, it was still a pleasing romance with a very engaging central couple. The point of view character, an excellent shot, has been invited to join a shooting party in Scotland - and finds herself far more interested in her host's fiancée than he seems to be.

( Spoilers )

Published in 1989, this is a very early Val McDermid - her second, in fact. Reporter Lindsay Gordon is covering news of an assault case at the Brownlow Common peace camp (a thinly disguised Greenham Common) - which is overtaken when the victim of the assault becomes a victim of murder.

This was a diverting murder mystery which veered off into sensationalist spy thriller territory towards the end (I wasn't complaining; I like spy thrillers!) but it was just as absorbing as a reflection of the world of journalism and the politics and preoccupations of the 1980s.

McDermid's observation of the crossover between different groups, and the fault lines within groups, is very sharp, and the way she portrays the uncomfortable sense that one isn't doing enough for the cause of the moment feels just as relevant today. Lindsay, on the edge of two worlds as a self-described hack in a relationship with the highbrow writer Cordelia as much as in her compromised dealings with press, police, and protesters, makes a convincing character. I loved the depiction of lesbian subculture (one character runs a restaurant called 'Rubyfruits') and the casual assumption that the reader will find their way around it (recognising the jargon puts them ahead of at least one plot development).


While I'm here, honourable mention to The Birthday Party (Veronica Henry), which was a novel with several plot strands following the personal meltdowns of a family of celebrities. One of the daughters finds herself in what looks like it's going to be a 'lesbian for attention' relationship, but which ends up becoming something more sincere.

Every now and then I have a whinge about how heteronormative mainstream novels are, so it was nice to see a F/F relationship included in one. There were a few moments that made me wince a little, but generally speaking I was pleasantly impressed by the nuance with which this was treated.