She Didn't See It Coming

She Didn’t See It Coming develops a theme commonly found in domestic thrillers: the difference between the idyllic appearance and the grim reality of people’s relationships, especially when deep imperfections and criminal activities lurk beneath the surface. This theme is developed in a variety of ways throughout the work, but it is most evident in Sam and Bryden Frost’s marriage and Alice and Derek Gardner’s relationship.

In the opening chapters of She Didn’t See It Coming, Sam and Bryden Frost’s relationship is portrayed as ideal. They are both well-off professionals who live in a “luxury condo building […] in a good neighborhood” (15). Their friends and family are unaware of any conflict between the two of them, and “they seem perfect for each other” (25). They have a sweet young daughter and a good support network. However, as the narrative develops, Sam is revealed to have been physically abusive to Bryden, but this truth was hidden because he very carefully “never left any marks” (175). Like many women in an abusive relationship, Bryden did not share her troubles with anyone in her life. The notion that their relationship was perfect is further challenged when Sam is revealed to have been indulging in an affair with Paige, Bryden’s best friend.