The Driver's Seat story

novel: The Driver's Seat (1970) · 1970 · Muriel Spark

Lise is a spinster, working in an accountancy firm somewhere in Northern Europe, probably Denmark. She has suffered years of illness; she behaves erratically and often confrontationally, and wears garish, provocative clothing. Lise travels to a South European city, probably Rome, ostensibly to meet her illusory boyfriend. She is eventually found murdered but had to an extent planned this murder herself.

5 total · 3 choice · 2 major

ThemeLevelMotivation
contemplating suicide choice Lise's self-arranged murder appears to be a pre-meditated suicide of sorts
is there a purpose to life choice We contemplate who or what if anything is behind what people do and things that happen.
mental illness choice Lise is clearly mad
pathological lying major Lise changes her story and contradicts her earlier statements many times to different people for no obvious reason but probably quite deliberately
sadomasochism major the killer is clearly a sadist and whatever Lise is, there was discussion about women being masochists