Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Age group: 16 and older
Content warning: breaking in, stalking, abusive behaviors, spoilers
The “All Souls” book series by Deborah Harkness is notable example of an unhealthy relationship. The books tell the story of a witch (Diana Bishop) who falls in love with a vampire (Matthew de Clermont). Both characters act in unhealthy ways during their relationship. Matthew is very controlling of Diana, not liking to have her out of his sight. He also breaks into her apartment and stalks her at the start of the book. Additionally, they are both co-dependent on each other and struggle when separated.
Matthew saw Diana retrieve a magical book at the college library, a book that has been missing for centuries and he needs for his research. Matthew wants to learn more about her and how she was able to access the missing book. The book states “When Bishop rounded the corner, Matthew crept along the rooflines until he reached the New College wall.” (A Discovery of Witches, Chapter 3). His desire to stalk her to learn more about her is disturbing. He is violating her privacy simply because he is curious about her and thinks she has something he wants. The illegal and unhealthy way he is satisfying his curiosity shows that he is not taking her comfort or safety into consideration, which is a sign the dynamic is becoming abusive. Because of his stalking, Matthew now knows where Diana lives. He follows Diana to her apartment to find the magical book. The book describes “He swung from the wall and kicked his feet up and through the witch’s kitchen window.” (A Discovery of Witches, Chapter 3). His willingness to break into her rooms is a concerning sign that he is not respecting her privacy, nor her sense of safety. Her lack of privacy and safety in this situation shows the abusive dynamic between the two of them. To make the situation worse, both Matthew and Diana are completely reliant and co-dependent on each other.
Matthew and Diana struggle to be away from each other. Matthew has left to go to Oxford to deal with the Congregation (a group of vampires, witches, and daemons who make decisions for the species) because they forbid relationships between non-human species. Diana is sitting alone after watching him go and thinking to herself “Now that he’d left, I was terribly aware of his absence. As I sat on the roof of the watchtower, my tears softened my determination to fight for him. Soon there was water everywhere. I was sitting in a puddle of it, and the level just kept rising." (A Discovery of Witches, Chapter 23). Her inability to cope with him leaving causes her magic to flood the driveway of the fortress she is staying in. The fact that she cannot emotionally handle being without him for a few days is not a good sign. In a healthy relationship, all parties would be able to spend time separated without issue.
To summarize, Matthew and Diana’s relationship is not healthy because he acts abusively towards her and they are unable to spend time apart from each other.
However, I think it is important to remember that these books are works of fiction and the romance is not meant to be evaluated this deeply.
I think that this book would be a great read for anyone interested in a more complex romance book or who like stories with vampires, witches, and daemons. I would also add that the books are exceptionally long and contain violent and sexual content, so take that into consideration before reading.
Citation: Harkness, Deborah E. A Discovery of Witches. New York, Penguin Books, 2019.
