The Good Samaritan

Laura Morris serves as the novel’s central protagonist, an unreliable narrator whose perspective draws the reader into a deeply fractured psyche. A volunteer at the End of the Line suicide helpline, Laura presents a carefully constructed facade of a helpful, maternal figure to her colleagues and, initially, to her callers. To her coworkers, she is “like the office mum” (13), a superwoman capable of baking, sewing, and offering endless support. This persona, however, masks a dark and manipulative nature. Her work is not a form of altruism but a vehicle for exercising control over the vulnerable. She derives a profound, almost euphoric satisfaction from guiding suicidal individuals toward death, viewing herself not as a predator but as a “saviour of lost souls” (35). This god complex is central to her character, allowing her to rationalize her actions as acts of mercy rather than murder and illustrating The Compulsive Nature of Manipulation and Control.

Laura’s compulsion to control others is rooted in a history of profound trauma and loss. The early death of her mother from cancer left her with a fascination with death, while her father, in orchestrating Laura’s unwitting participation in his murder-suicide plan, provided a foundational model for her own manipulative behavior.