A review by celestesbookshelf
The Bell by Iris Murdoch

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

Convinced Murdoch had a lot of mansplaining sort of men near her and she made sure to exploit their insecurities in her works! 

Also, the three novels of hers I've read all feature marital conflict, a woman feeling trapped, a man attempting to nail down the woman etc. This makes me wonder if Murdoch experienced this scenario herself or if she was lucky enough to simply observe it in others. 

This book was published 1958 so I was pleasantly surprised on finding one of the main characters ponder his homosexuality. 

More so, the narration switching from characters and then being omnipotent really highlights Murdoch's ability to explain both sides of a story. That's what I found most intriguing in this novel, her thoroughness in describing how each character perceives a situation and how wrong characters are of others. 

This may sound controversial but Murdoch seemed to make a statement on sexual abuse committed by clergy members. However, we get an insight into the pure love said clergy member feels on a person who later blames him for abuse.

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