Invisible Girl: A Novel

Throughout the narrative, Lisa Jewell explores different versions of social invisibility—whether actively cultivated as a form of self-protection, deeply felt as a symptom of loneliness and discontent, or weaponized to conceal violence and misogyny— and its effects on the characters in her novel. While Saffyre uses invisibility to hide from her trauma and self-soothe, Roan uses invisibility as a psychiatrist to create the illusion that he is above reproach. Owen’s profound feelings of invisibility and loneliness make him highly susceptible to the influence of incel culture. Jewell uses this exploration to reveal her characters’ inner turmoil and highlight societal pressure, vulnerability, and safety.

Saffyre calls herself the titular “invisible girl” because of her desire to watch people without their knowledge. While Saffyre does not stalk people with malicious intentions, her behavior reveals the unaddressed trauma that she keeps hidden. Saffyre exhibits several traits of a person experiencing PTSD: She cannot sleep in her own bed, she feels chronically restless, and she attempts to disassociate from her own life and body through self-harm. Saffyre stalks people she wants to be close to, such as Roan—a desire that stems directly from her trauma and allows her to feel a sense of control of her life. After Roan stops their therapeutic sessions together, Saffyre regresses and participates in maladaptive behaviors to soothe herself. Because Harrison’s abuse robbed Saffyre of her bodily autonomy, she initially attempts to regain it by wandering the streets and observing people around her without their knowledge. Jewell uses this active practice of invisibility as a tool to reveal both Saffyre’s character and propel the plot forward as Saffyre learns information about Roan’s life.

Through Roan’s character, Jewell explores the dangers of invisibility by connecting it to The Disconnect Between Perception and Reality. Both Saffyre and Cate come to understand that sometimes the most dangerous predators hide in plain sight—a key trope of domestic noir. Invisible predators mask their true nature, allowing them to fly under the radar. Alicia tells Saffyre that Roan is the type of person “that might actually be the bad guy, not the good guy” (352). For Roan, his unassuming nature and his occupation allow him to slip past people’s defenses and into their good graces, giving him a type of invisibility that makes him far more dangerous. Saffyre realizes that society is quick to suspect people like Owen because of his social awkwardness, while people like Roan get a pass because of his desirability and charisma. Yet, Jewell uses the cliffhanger ending of the novel to reveal Roan’s true nature: Although he constructs a safe and trustworthy persona, Jewell suggests, he is an invisible predator in reality.