The Sea, the Sea (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Those Brits Can Write
Review: This book fascinated me, I tore through it. Nobody was really likable, but the inner life of Charles Arrowby and his reflections on all of the characters made it easy to be generous. His actions toward people are often monstrous, and the people he deals with match him an eye for an eye. But his thoughts and his reflections on memory, his obsessions, his loves, ring so true and are so engaging that they overcome his flawed character.
The book, like Mr. Arrowby, does have some flaws. Much of it seems overtly contrived. However, it works somehow. Ms. Murdoch successfully caused me to suspend my disbelief when unblievable things were happening. Some of the mysticism was a bit much, and some of the symbolism was a bit overexplained.
But the connection that the book builds with the reader overcomes these flaws. It manages to dip its foot into that river of wisdom common to all real literature, but unspeakable and unexplainable - untranslatable from its form.
The Sea, The Sea first awed me with its asolutely amazing sentences, and then drew into understanding and sympathizing with people that I did not necessarily like. Despite its fantasy, its overt symbolism, its weird mysticism, and unlikable charaters, this book works, and I recommend it to everyone.