by Iris Murdoch
First published 1968
Kate and Octavian have built a warm marriage and gathered friends of every generation around their Dorset home. Their household hums with conversation and connection, but beneath the surface, different kinds of love pull people in opposing directions. Some characters pursue love that serves themselves, grasping and demanding. Others reach toward something larger, more generous, less possessive. These contrasting impulses create pairs throughout their circle, each couple wrestling with what it means to truly care for another person. As summer approaches, stress builds and fear creeps into their peaceful world. The characters must face their deepest desires and fears before they can find their way to joy. By midsummer, the chaos resolves into harmony. The couples discover where they belong, and love wins out over everything else that divided them.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Dorset
Period: Summer
350 pages · Hardcover · Viking Adult