The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark Wednesday, 01 September 2010 13:12 Written by Carole

After my last suggestion of The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing – a feminist tract spanning over 600 pages – this time I went for a slim novel of just 107 pages.  It was shortlisted for the “Lost Booker Prize” and it sounded intriguing and funny – a prim & proper accountant heading off on holiday looking for wild adventures and sex.  I didn’t expect it to turn into such a dark tale. 

We meet Lise as she shrieks and shouts at a poor sales assistant just because she tells her that the dress she is trying on is made from stain resistant material – “Do you think I spill things on my clothes?...Do I look as if I don’t eat properly?”  You know from the very beginning that she’s a bit unhinged.  She eventually buys the garish dress complete with a clashing summer coat and sets off for her holiday of a lifetime.  Along the way she meets equally oddball characters striking up bizarre relationships with each.  And quoting from the back cover :

"…her search for adventure, sex and the obsessional experience takes on a far darker significance as she heads on a journey of self-destruction. Infinity and eternity attend Lise’s last terrible day in an unnamed southern city, as she meets her fate."

Everyone enjoyed the book.  It’s so fleeting, clever and tightly plotted.  And after some of the comments and insights from the book club girls, I really need to go back and reread it!  Though I promise next time I'll choose a rom-com!