The Sea, The Sea holds the distinction of having the only annoying first-person narrator I could withstand enough to give a book top rating. Iris Murdoch’s disturbing, deranged character is written so well that his actions had little effect on how much I enjoyed reading it. The setting was another bonus; she wrote the atmosphere of a seaside escape so well that its demonic underpinning caught me off guard near the end.
Charles Arrowby is a retired famous actor who decides to spend the rest of his life away from the public, at a secluded location on the English coast. He’s also a rude bully who doesn’t take no for an answer, and has no regard for anyone's feelings, let alone his own. What made me stomach his story was the cast of characters involved. There’s James, his wise and loyal cousin, who helps him see the truth behind his unconscious scheming; Hartley, his unforgettable first love, who unfortunately becomes a victim of his kidnapping; Lizzie, a hopeless romantic who strangely can’t stop pining for him; and many others, including Rosina, Ben, and Titus- all involved in a zany drama with some bizarre situations.
For the first half of the novel I couldn’t tell if Charles was delusional or not. It wasn’t until the kidnapping that I really saw how sick he was. The second half took on a more mystical tone that appealed to his impressions of the supernatural, with a possible demonic encounter sparking his spiritual dialogues with James. (By the way, the sea monster was really the four seals). The mystical stuff only seemed to add to his deranged mentality, making his thoughts more disjointed than they already were. Thankfully, throughout his collapse came a refreshing voice of reason from James, who probably best represents the author. It gave us befuddled readers a narrative we could actually follow.
Iris Murdoch has to be one of the best when it comes psychological writing. Of course I was in love with my youth, Charles writes at the end, referring to Hartley. That final thought revealed a Jungian premise that wasn’t always obvious when reading. The fact that he finally showed some remorse for his actions made his character shine a little brighter.
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