The Driver's Seat, In Summer Season and The Midnight Library

 

Almost a short story at a hundred pages, Muriel Spark has conjured up a black comedy without any laughs. It has been described as "unhinged" or "brilliant" when I would say surreal and imaginative. Is it that the narrator has dreamed the last days of Lise? Because we know what happens to her very early on, discomforting though this may be. And because no-one in their right mind would have planned it that way. It is obvious someone is not in their right mind, either the narrator or Lise.

On the subject of the narrator, it is as if he or she is a fly on the wall, following all the odd intimate actions of Lise, without understanding what they mean. "Who knows her thoughts? Who can tell?" This gives the story that elusive quality for which the author is well known. So, yes, very weird, discomforting and, most of all, highly original. Saved in the end by Spark's brilliant prose. I was very surprised to find a film was adapted from this novella starring, of all people, Elizabeth Taylor. That must be weird too.

Why on earth did middle aged Kate marry the much younger Dermot? He is the epitome of a wastrel relying on his wife and mother to subsidise his idleness. I cannot but compare him to Harold Skimpole in "Bleak House". But Kate did know Dermot before her husband died and was obviously an attractive proposition.

The story is a forensic examination of a well off family rather than revealing any real plot. But the exchanges between the various characters are never less than intriguing and superbly written. There are some very funny pieces as well as occasional bleak episodes. The feeling of impending gloom ends in a devastating climax. But it is the dialogue in which this author excels.

It's Mrs Elm who Nora meets in that fantastical place called The Midnight Library and tells her that she has a choice of just not "parallel lives. Some are more ....... perpendicular". When she explains The Book of Regrets, we are prompted to think about are own. But these other lives for Nora are not all what they might seem. Even though I was looking forward to Nora's other life with The Labyrinths, it was not what I expected.

When Nora meets Hugo, there are quite deep philosophical conversations about what it is to exist. And we are treated to bits about "open quantum wave function" and "quantum superposition" whatever these might be.

Matt Haig is good at combining a decent narrative with clever prose that, though written in the third person, sometimes feels like the first. A little bit sentimental at the end, but who doesn't like a bit of sentimentality. I had originally avoided this extremely popular novel, that had been at the top of the charts for a while, because of the fantasy element. But it was entertaining and well written, so I was glad I took the chance