Fob and Nicola

[chazzbanner.livejournal.com]

Here's another 'I wish we'd find out' question

In Ready-Made Family it is said that it took many years for Nicola to repair her relationship with Fob, after the afternoon on the beach with the shipwreck.

I find myself wondering whether it was an event or events that helped this happen, or whether it was simply the passage of time.

(I find the Peter-centeredness of Fob's universe to be annoying, though I know some find the Nicola-centeredness of the books in general to be equally annoying!)

Comments

[coughingbear]

I imagined it was mainly the passage of time; presumably Fob got less annoying as she got older. And she is quite useful in Run Away Home, which may have helped. I rather enjoy her character, Peter-centredness included, though she might be rather an annoying child to have much to do with in real life!

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I need to re-read RMF now, because I'd completely forgotten that line, possibly due to being entirely taken up at the time with trying to work out how the hell one pronounced Fiorefrorefiddle, the fiend of the fell.

Hmmm, Nicola having many years to repair her relationship with Fob suggests that Karen and Edwin's marriage lasted; or at least that Fob and the Marlows kept in touch. I can quite see her announcing 'I'm going to see Peter' and stumping onto a train from whatever dull suburb Edwin was inhabiting with wife no. 3, and sitting in the corner of a compartment clutching her ticket in a stubby paw and glaring at all comers all the way to Westbridge Halt.

I think Peter's willingness to cut sailors for Fob and have his hand held and so on casts a rather nice light on his character; it makes me wonder how he'd have turned out if he came at the beginning of the family instead of practically the end.

[coughingbear]

Fob would definitely do that if she had to. But I tend to imagine Kay and Edwin's marriage lasting quite a while, just not being a particularly good
one. In fact, if they don't have any children of their own, don't you think it might last right up until Fob leaves home, and then stop? Edwin would come home one day a few weeks later, and Karen would put a meal in front of him while he read the latest issue of the Journal of the Society of Archivists. Then he'd look up, wondering where the coffee was, and ask why she was lugging that suitcase into the hall, and Karen would say, very calmly, that now Fob had left home she was going back to Oxford as a mature student. The taxi would arrive just at that moment, so he wouldn't understand that she'd left him until the letter arrived a few days later (sent second class by habit).

[leapingirbis.livejournal.com]

I rather think the same. Having embarked on this marriage I reckon Kay will stick it out for as long as she feels she's needed, but assuming that Fob goes off to uni at 18, Kay will find herself left behind in a dull and largely loveless marriage without job, challenge or excitement - and that at only 33! Surely sticking around for another 50 years is too dire a prospect to even consider? Of course she may have started an independent career by this time (I do hope so for her sake), in which case she may just withdraw into her work and not really care about homelife. Also, if she's inherited her mother's incredible fertility, I can't see how she could avoid producing a few of her own (though I can quite see Edwin insisting she takes the pill!)

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Might he not be the kind of person who has a vasectomy?

[coughingbear]

Yes, that definitely rings true. I can't see him wanting more children (though there's an implication that Karen might when the family discuss possible ages for them). I can't remember when Ready-Made Family was published - would the pill have been an option at the time?

[leapingirbis.livejournal.com]

yes, you are both right of course. Actually, the moment I'd posted I thought "no, Edwin will clearly have a vascetomy!", but since I should have been working rather than posting anyway, I didn't go back and alter my original comments!

[coughingbear]

What I can't quite envisage is the discussion with Kay about it!

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Maybe it happened around the end of the marriage with Rosemary?

[oursin.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that - 'We've got 3 and that's quite enough [environment, population explosion, limits of an archivist's salary, etc]'
If so, has he even told Kay?

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

It all starts coming back to Rowan's asking whether she has to get married - I could so see that leading to a blurt of 'Oh, no, he had a vasectomy after Phoebe was born', Ann blushing, Nicola and Ginty sharing expressive looks, Lawrie improving the shining hour with 'Oh, so couldn't you just shack up with him, then?' and Mrs Marlow conducting a searching enquiry into where on earth she heard language like that.

I wonder too whether he would have told her. I can't imagine that he wouldn't - but then the past is another country, and so forth. Perhaps he only mentioned it after the wedding?

[oursin.livejournal.com]

As I recall - don't have access to my copy at the moment - it would be mid-60s at least, so the Pill would have been an option (high-dosage - Kay gets a blood clot drama/angst rushed into hospital what will happen to children etc etc....)

[oursin.livejournal.com]

No-one, not even Edwin, reads the Journal of the Society of Archivists! (And I speak as one who has actually published in it.)

[coughingbear]

I of course never have, so I didn't know! Perhaps he was working on his strategic plan for widening access to and digitising the local records.

[leapingirbis.livejournal.com]

I think Peter's willingness to cut sailors for Fob and have his hand held and so on casts a rather nice light on his character

Yes, I always found this bit quite charming - I like the way his family "gazes at him spellbound" or words to that effect!

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I assumed passage of time - although in RAH, Fob's the only one to help when Rose and Chas are too upset about their feelings of betrayal.

Although when I thought "passage of time" I thought more about Nicola getting over herself a bit than Fob getting less annoying, although both would be needed.

[anstruther.livejournal.com]

I assumed passage of time, and I've also always assumed Fob grows out of her Peter-centredness, she's only five(?) when she decides Peter is the bee's knees. In response to _, yes, Nicola does need to get over herself to some degree, but I have some sympathy with her because the situtation was so stressful.

[anstruther.livejournal.com]

Apologies to slemslempike for inadvertently calling her a [Bad username in LJ tag] above.