The Bell
Iris Murdoch
1958
Around 300 pages
As I spent the last Iris Murdoch post squealing over her prose, you could probably guess that I was going to adore this one too. What can I say, the woman can do no wrong in my eyes.
Dora is a former art student who is married to a total drip, Paul Greenfield. Dora had previously left Paul, but they are giving it another go. And is there a more romantic place to reignite the spark in a marriage than a convent? Paul is studying the manuscripts that belong to the Abbey, and takes Dora along for the ride. They are joined on the train to the Abbey by Toby Gashe, who has just finished school and is going to stay in the Abbey until he goes to university, and James Tayper Pace, a member of the surrounding religious community. You can't have a Catholic story without some intense repressed homosexuality, so we also have Michael Meade on the roster, who once had an affair with a teenaged boy before he became a priest.
Murdoch really gives her characters free rein to drive the story. Her characters feel all too real, which especially stands out to me, as we have had our fair share of over the top performances lately. The richness of her imagery is truly unmatched. As a church outsider, Dora was the perfect lens through which to view the complex machinations of this small religious community.
I just love her so gosh darn much.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Adapted into a BBC mini series with Ian Holm.
Elizabeth Bowen described the book as "a masterpiece of direct narrative."
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