95. "Under the Net," Iris Murdoch

Well, it's been a little while since I've updated this list. That isn't to say that I had given up on reading, just that other things got in the way. I actually read this novel quite some time ago, so I'll try to recall my sentiments here and now.

This novel centers on Jake Donaghue and his relative/friend Finn. Jake and Finn are both somewhat down and out and had been living off the kindness of Madge. The novel starts with Madge tossing them both out to make way for her new lover, Sammy. Jake tracks down an old lover of his, Anna, who sends him to Sadie. Sadie asks Jake to look after her place while she is hiding away from Hugo. Hugo, it turns out, is an old friend of Jake's with whom a book had been written that led to the dissolution of their friendship. The book introduced the idea that the "Net" under which they were trying to crawl under in the title was language in general. Hugo's belief that language was somehow corrupt implied that writing a book was a betrayal. An odd topic to cover in a novel.

The novel follows a bizarre path of depravity that ends with Hugo leaving, Finn back in Ireland, Sadie selling a dog to Jake and Anna, now just a disembodied voice, singing on the radio. In the end, Jake is broke, has Mr. Mars the dog and looks forward to a future of being a writer.

I remember thinking at almost every turn that things were finally starting to look up for Jake. Sadly, the next turn coming always pulled the rug out from under him. Every time he had the opportunity to do the right thing, he chose another option. When everyone leaves him in the end, it is hard not to feel sorry for Jake, but at the same time, one realizes that he deserves his lot. Whether his literary career is going to take off or not is hard to say, but he has certainly gone through the seemingly requisite suffering that artists claim they need.

All told, I rather enjoyed this novel. Murdoch was able to capture a character that you both love to hate and hate to love. Jake is a jerk. He is, however, a jerk that you root for as you flip through the pages.