The Driver's Seat - Muriel Spark

Summary from Amazon:

Described as 'a metaphysical shocker' at the time of its release, Muriel Sparks' The Driver's Seat is a taut psychological thriller, published with an introduction by John Lanchester in Penguin Modern Classics.

Lise has been driven to distraction by working in the same accountants' office for sixteen years. So she leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime. But her search for adventure, sex and new experiences 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. One of six novels to be nominated for a 'Lost Man Booker Prize', The Driver's Seat was adapted into a 1974 film, Identikit, starring Elizabeth Taylor.

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I read this book as part of a new Book Club organised by the wonderful bookshop Looking Glass Books for #readwomen2014 and I think it's a perfect book to read and discuss! I came in having my thoughts about the book and I realised there were so many details I had missed! I think I'll reread the book soon and will probably see other things. It's one of those books that can have so many shapes that everyone can take something different out of it.

It's hard to talk about it without giving any spoilers (and this is definitely the type of book that can really use being read without knowing anything about it) so I'll keep things quite general. I learned that this book is Muriel Spark's favourite from all her works which is an interesting fact and I'm looking forward reading more of her books to try to find out why that is.

I have only read two of her books but I feel there are some common characteristics which I gather are very 'Spark'. I like that she has a style that is so intrinsically hers no matter how different the stories are. The writing is at times witty and playful but with crisp and sinister undercurrents. 

There are various themes in the book, it goes from religion to fashion and lifestyles. One of the things I loved the morst about this book is Spark's relation to the reader. It's as if Spark is tricking us into thinking one thing about the character or story (mostly using our prejudice) while actually writing the opposite. I found the book so inspiring to read because it really challenged the way I look at life and at stories as well. The title in itself is the key. Are we ever in the driver's seat? And if we are, like the main character in the book, are we actually in control? 

Lise's journey through the book gets more baffling and shocking as it goes and it is amazing how much this book can challenge the reader in a little over a 100 pages. the writing always goes straight to the point.

I don't think I want to say more for fear of spoiling the experience but I really loved it definitely want to read more of Muriel Spark's books!

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Next book up for the book club is Honour by Elif Shafak which I'm really looking forward to reading!

The Comforters - Muriel Spark

Summary:

In Muriel Spark's fantastic first novel, the only things that aren't ambiguous are her matchless originality and glittering wit.

Caroline Rose is plagued by the tapping of typewriter keys and the strange, detached narration of her every thought and action. She has an unusual problem - she realises she is in a novel. Her fellow characters are also possibly deluded: Laurence, her former lover, finds diamonds in a loaf of bread - could his elderly grandmother really be a smuggler? And Baron Stock, her bookseller friend, believes he is on the trail of England's leading Satanist.

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I absolutely loved this book and I'm not sure I'll be able to do it justice with my thoughts. You might actually rather read Ali Smith's words on it [here]. (You definitely should read Ali Smith's words on it.)

The book follows novelist Caroline Rose as she converts to Catholicism. After coming back from a retreat, she suddenly starts hearing the sound of a typewriter and voices who seem to comment on her thoughts and what is happening in her life. Her boyfriend Laurence is convinced his grandmother is part of a gang smuggling diamonds in the UK and he is investigating the matter.

There are so many characters in this book and they are all colourful and different. Not just different from each other but different from most characters you read in books. They are all described vividly and we get to see their good and not-so-good actions and thoughts.
I adored Louisa Jepp who proves that one can never be too old to start a gang and smuggle diamonds in bread loaves. It feels that unique characters were hand-picked, thrown together in a small arena and put through various challenges. And no, this isn't a prequel to The Hunger Games. Though how awesome would a Hunger Games book written by Muriel Spark be? No, really, think about it!

The writing is quite simply exquisite. There is so much personality running through the pages that I can't wait to pick up Muriel Spark's other books. There is wit, irreverence, playfulness, as well as musings on human nature and life. I feel that by seeing the darker traits of the characters, we're given a glimpse into who they really are and we can't help seeing them as flawed human beings. Except Mrs. Hogg who is just plain evil *shudders*

The book is also a metafiction because of the story in the story. Caroline seems to hear the narrator telling the story of her life and the narrator also hears Caroline's remarks on the storytelling. It gives an original twist on an already unique book.

There are many topics in this book (religion, mental illness, language...) and they are balanced by the deadpan writing and some truly comical scenes. I felt it was such an effective way to talk about such serious topics in this manner as it jolts the reader into paying more attention to what is being said.

There is A LOT happening in this short book and I still can't believe it was published in the 1950s. I'm really happy I set myself this challenge because Muriel Spark's books are an amazing - and timely - discovery for me. The book has already been a great source of inspiration (for writing and reading) and I can't wait to discover all her other books.



Also head over to the New York Times website where you can read articles about Muriel Spark and reviews of her books [here].

Muriel Spark Reading Challenge

Hi all,

I have rather abruptly decided that I wanted to read all (or most) of Muriel Spark's books over the next few years after realising how amazing she was and how shameful it was that I had yet to read one of her books. I, of course, had to make it official with a list (I love lists!) and a logo. Muriel Spark is one of Scotland's most talented novelists and I have been missing out on her books so I am really looking forward to this. 

Below are the books I intend to read. I don't know if anyone else wants to join me in this endeavour, it can be just for a few books if her complete works look a bit daunting! I'll update this list as and when I read the books.

FICTION:

1957    The Comforters [My thoughts here]

1958    Robinson

1959    Memento Mori

1960    The Ballad of Peckham Rye

The Bachelors

1961    The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

1963    The Girls of Slender Means

1965    The Mandelbaum Gate

1968    The Public Image

1970    The Driver's Seat [My thoughts here]

1971    Not to Disturb

1973    The Hothouse by the East River

1974    The Abbess of Crewe

1976    The Takeover

1979    Territorial Rights

1981    Loitering with Intent

1984    The Only Problem

1988    A Far Cry from Kensington

1990    Symposium

1996    Reality and Dreams

2000    Aiding and Abetting

2004    The Finishing School

OTHER WORKS:

1950    Tribute to Wordsworth [edited by Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford]

1951    Child of Light [a study of Mary Shelley]

1952    The Fanfarlo and Other Verse

1952    Selected Poems of Emily Brontë

1953    John Masefield [biography]

1953    Emily Brontë: her life and work [by Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford]

1953    My Best Mary [a selection of letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford]

1954    The Brontë letters

1957    Letters of John Henry Newman [edited by Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford]

1958    The Go-away Bird [short stories]

1961    Voices at Play [short stories and plays]

1963    Doctors of Philosophy [play]

1967    'Collected Poems'
'Collected Stories'

1982    'Bang-bang You're Dead' [short stories]

1982    'Going up to Sotheby's' [poems]

1992    'Curriculum Vitae' [autobiography]

2001    'Complete Short Stories'

2004    'All the Poems'