Of the many novels by the author this is the one that eventually won her the Booker Prize, in 1978. The 501 pages of this edition are divided into three sections, “Prehistory”, giving the background of main character Charles Arrowby, “History”, a large central one enacting his retreat, from being a leading West End personality, to a run down house by the sea and a final “Postscript”, in which Charles reflects on the events during that supposed retreat.
“Shruff End” the chosen retreat its coastal surroundings and weather effects are wonderfully described. Contemporary when written the book now has a certain atmosphere of its time, without detracting from the story; the house being said by critics to be a Plato’s Cave for Charles inner life, or maybe a purgatory. The peaceful beginnings of the retreat are unfolded by Murdoch’s male first person narrator focused as Charles.
Suddenly, he encounters Hartley, a former youthful love, who lives in the local village and is in a hum drum marriage, to which she is resigned. Then various characters from his former life invite themselves to Shruff End, coming and going at will: Gilbert, James, Rosina, Peregrine and Lizzie, also Titus, Hartley’s estranged son. In intense detail Charles’s wilful and arrogant self is expressed by a determination to control events. The pace intensifies and spirals as Charles forces his will forward. Unintended consequences develop the story in dramatic ways. The cadence of the writing remains high for a long time and should carry readers along with it.
Murdoch maintains an enviable balance between the absurd, the comedic (e.g. Charles’s meals) and the very human. She is adept at drawing developing human emotions and inner deliberations in such a way the reader can experience them, as well as seeing the person in a wider and often embarrassing perspective. The interplay of the characters provides a complex tension with continual revelation and some large coincidences, which Murdoch must have delighted in dropping into her writing!
Which is bigger and real, our egos and obsessions, or the universe? No contest surely, but we often live with a centric perspective which clashes with reality. This seems to be a message of the story and a common Murdoch theme. One of an impressive body of work, a book with dexterity of writing and humane story telling.
Mark's Reviews 