Annabel Lyon

This book left me angry and horrified and I don't think that was Lyon's intention.

I am fully willing to accept that this was marketing error, and not a sign that Lyon is entirely morally bankrupt. It was marketed as "General Fiction", but it reads as a "Psychological Thriller". General fiction (aka literary fiction) usually reflects the ethical and moral views of its author. Psychological thrillers look at the world through the eyes of an emotionally or psychologically damaged person to show how people justify horrible behaviour that no one with a functioning moral compass could possibly condone.

***Spoilers Ahead***

"Consent" reads as a perfectly crafted psychological thriller which ends with two rich people murdering a poor person with addiction problems to avoid taking responsibility for their own feelings of guilt. I wish I was kidding, but no, that is the actual climax of this book.

Saskia is so self-absorbed that she does nothing help her sister when she is left bedridden after a life-altering car crash. She feels guilty for not doing what she could to help Jenny (her sister), and remaining a passive observer to their father's domineering treatment Jenny after her accident. She transfers this burden of guilt onto the drunk driver who hit Jenny and caused her injuries.

Sara resents having to care for her mentally disabled sister Mattie after their mother's death. Domineering and controlling, Sara breaks up her sister's marriage to a kind but poor man, Robert (who their mother knew and approved of), because she believes Mattie isn't mentally able to know what love is. Robert relapses into his drug addiction after losing Mattie and starts demanding Sara let him see Mattie again. Sara refuses. The tragic outcome of Sara's arrogance is that Robert, high on drugs, stops Mattie in the street. He grabs her shoulders and begs her to come back to him. Startled, Mattie stumbles backwards, falls, and smashes her head on the concrete, killing her instantly. Robert makes no attempt to flee and is devastated by her death. He does jail time for manslaughter. Guilt begins to consume Sara's thoughts, but instead of acknowledging that she was wrong to break up Mattie's marriage, she projects all of her guilt onto Robert and starts stalking him after he is released from prison. Again, no, I'm not kidding, she actually does this.

Robert has sobered up after his prison time, is in addiction counselling, and is gainfully employed as a construction worker. It seems as though, with the exception of being stalked by a psycho rich woman, his life is finally getting back on track. Unfortunately, Sara and Saskia meet after Saskia discovers that Robert was the driver of the car that hit Jenny, and they hatch a plan to murder Robert. The murder is carried out successfully and the authorities declare it a suicide.

The book ends with Saskia skipping town to start a new life in what I suspect is supposed to be a "happily ever after" ending. We are supposed to be delighted that Saskia and Sara have gotten away with murder, because they are rich people who were incapable of dealing with their own feelings of guilt. Ugh!… (més)

I can't say I liked Lyon's book although it is clearly very well-written. It's about two sets of sisters, two of them disabled. And although there is so much more to the story I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters or the story in any meaningful way which made it feel remote. I don't have any siblings so I could be wrong in this, but these women did not show the sibling (or twin) relationships that I imagine should be there. The focus on perfume and clothes, particularly one dress, was puzzling and sorry to say, it went right over my head. The ending came as a surprise although I should have been prepared for it. What I enjoyed most about this thought-provoking story is that it's set in and around Vancouver.… (més)