A Severed Head – Iris Murdoch

a-severed-headREAD FOR BOOKCLUB

Chosen by Jo

A 1961 satirical novel about marriage, adultery and deception within a group of civilised and educated people

© “The characters in this book are unpleasant, their morals questionable and their actions immoral, Martin Lynch-Gibbon especially.

“But that is the beauty of the novel. The characters, all of whom are undertaking deception and adulterous affairs are deliciously infuriating, making for a more beguiling read. Their intense Britishness makes them more textured, in that they portray little emotion, even when in delicate situations. This creating of a facade is completely realistic in normal human behaviour and I enjoyed attempting to dissect the complex characters.

“A book where the web of lies and deceit has been so expertly spun, it becomes a complete joy to read about such fraudulence and insanity.” – Rachel

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Published 1961
Chatto and Windus
251 pages

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