A review by panieldope
An Accidental Man by Iris Murdoch

4.0

The characters in this book were so vividly realized, their emotional/philosophical entanglements so clearly and wholly etched, that reading it was seamless and oddly pleasant, despite how unpleasant the material could be at times. Austin is one of the most utterly despicable characters I have ever read. All too believable. Though Ludwig’s struggle of conscience over draft-dodging didn’t have any intrinsic interest to me (drafts should be dodged, every one of them), it made sense, I could understand his crisis, maybe because it didn’t have anything, ultimately, to do with the war. There is a kind of all-consuming sense of importance in the characters’ thoughts and philosophies and struggles, and then on the other hand a curiously gratifying sense of pointlessness. This is one of the strangest novels I’ve read in my life, I think. It’s definitely got under my skin. Looking forward to reading more of her work.