A Severed Head

Iris Murdoch

As we all know, I often hear voices in my head. Sometimes they actually speak even when I am unaware that they are do so. But I don't usually hear REAL voices--that is those that belong to someone either living or dead--until I started reading A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch.

In A Severed Head, Murdoch introduces Martin Lynch-Gibbons, a man of sophistication, wit and heightened sensibilities, who just happens to be the most likeable selfish pig I've ever met in literature. Urbane, intelligent, faithful to his wife, faithful to his mistress, and more than anything faithful to l'amour. Martin's life is absolutely perfect until the day his wife announces that she is leaving him for her psychotherapist (who just happens to be Martin's best friend), and it might...just might...now come about that the mistress might actually pressure him into marriage! But that's not all! Oh no! Life is not so simple for Martin...or the reader.

What with falling in love and out of love in time with the coming and going of London fog (I'm told that can be fairly often :)), his insensitive nature, and cynical sense of humour, you might think that Martin is simply a cad. But he's not; he's likeable and funny as hell as he lives out the drama of his life, which if he can just consume enough whiskey, Martin might just survive.

But what I will find most memorable about the book is the voice in my head. Within paragraphs, Martin's voice (he narrates) becomes that of Rex Harrison! And I'm not kidding. It was all that I could hear from start to finish. I have to tell you that it really enhanced the experience and I totally had a hoot. I truly believe that if this were made into a movie (and I haven't checked to see if it has or not), he would have been the definitive Martin.

I'm not really sure why, but I really recommend this one if for nothing else than experiencing the scathing wit and prose of Iris Murdoch.