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electricbrain 's review for:
The Sea, the Sea
by Iris Murdoch
When I told my mom that I was reading this book (as I know she has it), she said that she liked and disliked it at the same time. The writing, she said, was very good, but the actions and motives of the characters were so very wrong you want to reject it. And while I didn't feel like that reading, I can see why it might feel so.
The book is, in my opinion, very deceptive and when you think you have figured out what it is all about, it just proves you wrong. It goes from peaceful self-reflection to eccentric love stories to thriller to horror to mystery to something else. The plot also uses some tricks to build suspense or increase the tension that I was almost tempted to call cheap but then I realized they were more theatrical – which is suitable for a book about a theater personality, after all.
In a nutshell, it is a book about obsession and about the great lengths that it can go in disturbed minds. But through a very limited setting, it reveals a very rich picture of many different characters in all their complexity.
All in all, it is one of the best books I've read in a while. I also found at least one more new favorite book character in it and that is a great joy and a discovery on its own – almost like meeting a nice person.
The book is, in my opinion, very deceptive and when you think you have figured out what it is all about, it just proves you wrong. It goes from peaceful self-reflection to eccentric love stories to thriller to horror to mystery to something else. The plot also uses some tricks to build suspense or increase the tension that I was almost tempted to call cheap but then I realized they were more theatrical – which is suitable for a book about a theater personality, after all.
In a nutshell, it is a book about obsession and about the great lengths that it can go in disturbed minds. But through a very limited setting, it reveals a very rich picture of many different characters in all their complexity.
All in all, it is one of the best books I've read in a while. I also found at least one more new favorite book character in it and that is a great joy and a discovery on its own – almost like meeting a nice person.