by Julia Doty (link)
Genre cest, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate, Zaylor
Length 35 chapters
Status Unfinished
Closet Case was a new fic on the scene not long after I returned to this fandom, and I was eagerly gulping down any and all fic that featured my favorite pairings and tropes. I remember being a bit disappointed by Julia’s writing, but not enough to stop reading until her long hiatus. Upon re-reading the fic, which still remains incomplete, I was disappointed to find that the plot didn’t hold up well enough to help me ignore the sloppy writing.
The title is both literal and something of a pun; Taylor’s secret feelings for Zac are revealed all because of an incident in a closet at a raucous party. Zac’s hesitance feels natural, as do Isaac’s disgust and very, very slow almost acceptance. These three characters, at least, are well formed and understandable in their behavior. Taylor and Natalie’s marriage also seems well sketched here; the flashback of sorts to their first night together is unique and quirky, unlike any other description of it that I’ve seen in a hanfic.
That all comes crashing down, though, when Natalie admits that she has done more than just cheat on Taylor once. Of course, Taylor is, effectively, just as bad as her. Her admission doesn’t seem to be what will lead to the opening scene of the story. In fact, after thirty five chapters, we don’t seem close to that scene at all, where everything has crashed down around Taylor.
It’s not really an effective framing device, nor is the conceit that this is Taylor himself writing down his tale (with one random chapter from Zac’s point of view), especially when the story almost seems to have deviated from that plan. I’m confident that Julia did have some plan, but I suppose it’s a good thing that I can’t guess what it is. Part of that may be down to the fact that her writing is just plain confusing; chapters begin way too in medias res, sometimes even after the action entirely. Her syntax and word choice are unusual and often entirely wrong, though she does sometimes stumble upon a good turn of phrase. I would still like to see how Closet Case was meant to end, but I don’t find it as compelling upon re-reading as I had hoped.
Review by Bethany (website)