Iris Murdoch

A writer of detective fiction who has not recovered from the loss of his wife becomes involved in the life of a neighbor's family

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine

Emmett

I loved how Murdoch probes into the thoughts and emotions of each character, her astounding clarity of writing be it in dealing with their emotions or mapping out the escalation of situations. Her analyses of relationships are sharp and incisive -- sometimes too much so, I feel, but it never feels contrived, rather as if these characters of hers had spent far too much time thinking about themselves and the state they are in than seems possible for such ordinary people. She writes sentiment and emotion so beautifully that in this tragicomedy at times I find myself on the verge of tears, sharing in Harriet's anguish, Blaise's, well, blase attitudes and his desperation, sometimes despising Emily myself for throwing a spanner in the works of Harriet's blissful marriage. Murdoch explores the states of not just the central character but gives a part to the trio's friends and children, and through this realises a fuller, more descriptive and complete picture of the chaos and its effects on everyone involved. I daresay I would never forget the gradual tender closeness of Harriet and Luca: so heartwarming and sweet and special, and yet so tragic.

Sometimes I think I can write, and then I read works like this one and I give up that thought entirely.

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine

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