Not to Disturb – Muriel Spark (1971) 96 pages
I really enjoy Muriel Spark. I like her creepy, unsettling tales, her dark humour, the ways things are not fully explained… Not to Disturb has all of this in bucketloads, but it means it’s a very hard book to review! At times I wasn’t sure what story I was reading, and now I’ve finished it I’m still not sure. I enjoyed it immensely, but in the wrong mood this could be a very frustrating read.
It’s set in a Genevan villa on a stormy night. The villa is home to the Baron and Baroness Klopstock who are locked in a room with their secretary, Vincent. The Baron’s brother lives with an unspecified affliction and is nursed in the attic. He punctuates the night with howling.
Meanwhile, the servants are in their quarters discussing the evening ahead and already referring to the Klopstocks in the past tense. Heloise, the heavily pregnant maid, is reflecting on who of many possibilities could be the father of her unborn child which may be Pablo the handyman’s, but is cut short by Monsieur Clovis:
“ ‘We have serious business on hand tonight, my girl, so shut up,’ says the chef. ‘We have business to discuss and plenty to do. Quite a vigil. Has anybody arrived yet?’ “
Quite what the business is and why the servants know about it advance is never fully specified. We know there will be a death though, because the butler tells us:
“ ‘There was sure to be something unexpected,’ says Lister. ‘But what’s done is about to be done and the future has come to pass. My memoirs up to the funeral are as a matter of fact more or less complete. At all events, its out of our hands. I place the event at about 3am so prepare to stay awake.’
‘I would say 6 ‘o’clock tomorrow morning. Right on the squeak of dawn,’ says Heloise.
‘You may well be right,’ says Lister. ‘Women in your condition are unusually intuitive.’”
There’s also the couple at the gatehouse who are completely oblivious to the machinations, three people in a car lurking around the grounds waiting for Vincent, and everyone is staying up all night so they look bedraggled and upset when the press arrive as planned in the morning.
Not to Disturb is farcical, sinister and satirical. There’s a fairly horrible almost-rape scene but generally things verge on the metaphysical rather than the visceral. It’s baffling and unsettling and I whizzed through it with great enjoyment. If ever a novelist was ill-suited to write a novel called Not to Disturb, it’s Muriel Spark 😀
If you’ve come to the end of this post and feel I’ve not told you anything useful about the novella, I’m really sorry! But in that way I may have conveyed some of the experience of reading Not To Disturb…
madame bibi lophile recommends 
That cover doesn’t reflect what you say about the content!
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It doesn’t, does it? She looks most serene! I chose it because that’s the edition I have. Penguin went through a definite phase in the late 70s/early 80s of the most appalling covers of terrible photos that didn’t really match the content at all – I have some Francoise Sagan and Jean Rhys editions from that time that are real stinkers.
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I have Loitering with Intent on my ‘to buy’ list thanks to a Spark blogger reading project from last year, I think – I’m beginning to lose track – but this one sounds even better.
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I also have Loitering With Intent in the TBR – it may make an appearance later this month as it’s quite short…
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This is a very strange little book, though as you say, not unenjoyable. It’s very unsettling, and could only have been written by Muriel Spark. I really enjoy finding my way through her peculiar world.
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You’re so right Ali – only Muriel Spark could have written this one! It’s deeply odd.
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This does sound very twisted, even by Muriel Spark’s standards. I’m really intrigued by it. You’ve certainly conveyed more than enough in your post to pique my interest – on the list it goes. (The list is getting longer by the minute.)
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Even by Muriel Spark’s standards this is a really strange one! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. It’s a really short novel, you’ll barely notice its on the list Jacqui 😉
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First off, I so agree with your comment about Penguin covers from that era – it’s completely obvious that the designers had no idea what any of the books were about!
And this sounds truly disturbing as Spark so often can be. I almost feel inclined to pull one of her books off the shelves!
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It really was a bizarre time in their art department wasn’t it? I’m sure they hadn’t read the novels!
I hope you enjoy whichever Spark you reach for – I have a couple left in the TBR that I’m looking forward to, she’s such a unique, unsettling voice.
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ooh I love Muriel Spark and this sounds really intriguing!
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If you love Muriel Spark I think you’ll like this Cathy – it’s the weirdest of hers that I’ve read!
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That makes me want to read it even more!
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I’ll be really interested to know how you find it!
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I’m still not entirely over The Driver’s Seat so this might not be for me. I do like twisted but it’s seems not the kind she writes.
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Definitely, if you didn’t like The Driver’s Seat I don’t think you’d like this Caroline. I really enjoy Spark but I can completely see she’s not for everyone.
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I’m very glad you enjoyed this so much. She’s hit and miss for me.
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The only one of hers I’ve not got on with is The Mandelbaum Gate. I feel she’s stronger with shorter books.
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I like Spark, I loved The Girls of Slender Means, but I didn’t get on with The Driver’s Seat so I think this one’s not for me.
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Yes, this is definitely more towards The Driver’s Seat end of what she writes, so I don’t think you’d like this one Lisa. The Girls of Slender Means is wonderful!
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Hahaha, well, your baffling review has had the desired effect! I feel I must read this now – it sounds either dreadful or wonderful, or perhaps both. 😂
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It’s certainly bonkers, and elusive to say the least!
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Good review. I’m reading my way through her books. Have you read Driver’s Seat? Wow.
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Yes, I really enjoyed The Driver’s Seat – so good!
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Farcical, sinister and satirical is more than enough!
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It’s all those things in abundance!
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And I read this the same weekend I read The Loved One, I think, with the same ugly cover! I found it totally baffling, and maybe need to revisit sometime. I do love Spark though.
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It is completely and utterly baffling! So sorry you had that cover inflicted on you too 😀
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Your last paragraph made me laugh! Sometimes that’s all one can do, writing a review, without giving away anything substantial. This sounds a lot like my experience of reading The Driver’s Seat. Spark is someone I really enjoy, but maybe not in every mood. Whereas some authors suit more of my reading moods. If that makes sense. Regardless, she’s an excellent choice for novella month. If only because even her strangest stories seem to have an inner momentum, don’t they!
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Yes, that makes total sense. This is in a similar vein to The Driver’s Seat but even more baffling 😀 They definitely do have a momentum all of their own!
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