A review by ed_moore
The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Muriel Spark’s “The Driver’s Seat” was such an unusual short read. The story tells of Lise’s single day on holiday, as she has her mind completely set on finding “her type” in the next 24 hours, in a desperate pursuit of ‘love’. The character of Lise is utterly insufferable. She is selfish, loud, hypocritical and rude, dismissing everybody else around her. Though we later find out why she acts this way, as Spark introduced her as such even with hindsight I still absolutely despise her character and was actively disgusted when reading about her. The other characters weren’t any better, Bill being just as unlikable, manipulative and controlling, though Spark did write him in such way to support her feminist messages within the story. “The Driver’s Seat” is ultimately about a female character trying to regain her agency from an oppressive patriarchal system, though she goes about this in an extremely unorthodox and harrowing way. However the irony is that Lise never reclaims such agency, her story being recounted by the people she meets throughout the book. Also I can’t help but highlight the excessive emphasis on Lise’s lips, just in case the book wasn’t weird enough already! Though the concept of “The Driver’s Seat” was extremely interesting, the sheer dislikability of almost all the characters meant it was impossible for me to “enjoy” it. (I quotation enjoy as the themes of this book are not enjoyable to read, even if the characters were more likeable. I do however fail to find the word that explains the low star rating.) 
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