by Des DeVivo
2024
Erotic literature often strives to be a big tent, a place where all of our various desires, kinks, and sexual identities can find expression without judgment. And in the stories written by various individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community, one can find a remarkable range of stories, narratives, and characters, collectively underscoring the rich diversity of not only the queer community, but the different ways we fantasize, connect, and express who we are. But what about those who identify as ace (asexual)? Are they able to find stories with which they can identify, and that mirrors some of their own lived experience? How are asexual stories told differently than any other within the genre of "queer romance"? How is the portrayal of ace characters similar or different than those appear in other more familiar forms of erotica and queer literatuure?
Des DeVivo´s debut novella, An Appreciation of Cats, might be a good place to start as a response to these questions. Set in a fictional veterinary clinic in the mountains of Santa Rosa, the story begins with kind, gentle, sixtysomething Dr. Ian Devonshire receiving the unexpected and upsetting news that his recent biopsy has come back with a diagnosis of melanoma. But worse than suddenly realizing his age and own fragile mortality is the epiphany that, back at home, Ian has no companion to talk about this with, no one to give him comfort, nobody to help him change the bandages on his back.
Or so he tries to convince himself. The truth is, Ian does have someone he could ask for love and affection, a man that he has been dizzingly attracted to for years: the thirtysomething Dr. Alec Tarley, who works at his side at the Devonshire clinic, treating numerous pets for various elements over the years interspersed with frequent conversations together over tea. Ian assumes that he is far too old for Alec, that any feelings his talented colleague may feel for him are simply those of a friend. And, even if sometimes he feels that Dr. Tarley is interested in their relationship becoming more, Ian steels himself into think that it is best to keep things as they are. The elder doctor even believes he is right when makes two startling announcements to Alec: that not only is he retiring for unspecified reasons, but he wishes to leave the Devonshire clinic in Dr. Tarley´s hands.
While physical contact between the two doctors is minimal for most of the novella, that does not mean that An Appreciation of Cats is devoid of tension and heat. Each chapter alternates between Ian and Alec´s point of view, giving readers the ability to intimately grasp the mutual tenderness both men feel for one another, but which neither yet knows or is willing to admit. DeVivo uses this structural device effecitvely to increase the tension between the two in each one of their scenes, whether treating a sick cat or briefly bumping into one another inside the close quarters of Ian´s office. Further, reading this as an ace text, such fleeting gestures and minimal dialogue gain a new intensity of meaning and emotion. What they feel is left unsaid, yet no less present or real.
Before writing this debut, DeVivo worked for many years in filmmaking, and reading An Appreciation of Cats sometimes feels like the novelization of an independent feature film. There is a small cast of characters and a handful of locations, but the story also frequently frames her characters in close-up: DeVivo pays particular attention to the inflection in a character´s voice, the subtle shifts in one´s facial expression, the multiple meanings that can be read into someone´s stillness and silence. Further, even though An Appreciation of Cats is a work of fiction, the author also includes some of her firsthand experience with melanoma (today she is happily living cancer-free). Choosing to include such personal biographical details into one´s work is always a courageous move, and in this case helps to enrich the romance with a greater level of authenticity.
According to the author´s website, An Appreciation of Cats is the first of a series of books that will take place in her fictional universe of Holly Grove, California, with each title focused on a different queer couple. If her debut novella, with its combination of craft, intelligence, and honesty are any indication, then each of DeVivo´s subsequent books are sure to find an appreciative audience.