Iris Murdoch: A Severed Head

[Mirabell]

Iris wows me each time. I feel incapable of writing about her in detail. Am I glad that I study American not British lit or I would be incapable of resisting to write about her and, from here, that feels like desecration.

That was my third novel and I have yet to be disappointed by Iris. It is, arguably, 'less' than the other two, concentrating solely on one aspect, human relationships. And, for such a thin novel that is centered around only 6 main characters, there are all kinds of variations in the book.

A compulsive read, as usual fully fleshed out characters, true to life. And it's a true show-don't-tell, the characters are created by their actions and the dialogue. Not one word is wasted here. I am so full of admiration for Iris Murdoch and I feel that her art is such that even now, three novels in, I have not yet grasped its full extent.