I Am Watching You

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to child sexual abuse, self-harm, and suicide.

In Driscoll’s novel, Ella blames herself for Anna’s predicament, lamenting that it was “because I made the wrong decision. Because I made a snap judgement. Because I got on my high horse over Sarah’s behavior” (200). Ella’s tormented narrative illustrates the text’s key idea that everyday decisions can sometimes lead to unintended but monumental consequences. However, the novel also shows that there is no way to predict the consequence of an action. To perform a perfectly safe action, one would need to not act at all. Even then, inaction would have its own ripple effect. Thus, instead of agonizing over the unintended consequences of decisions, people must accept the randomness of life and keep moving forward nevertheless.

Anna’s disappearance, the central mystery of the novel, distills how several small decisions by various people can contribute to an event. Had Jenny and Paul not canceled on the trip to London, perhaps Anna could have been saved. Similarly, the outcome would have been different had Sarah gone back to the hotel with Anna, or if Anna herself had decided to stay in the club.