Summary of Under the Net
Jake Donaghue is an impoverished writer who, with his friend Finn, roams the streets of London in search of quick money and a place to stay. While house-sitting for Sadie, a film actress, Jake discovers a copy of his book “The Silencer”. This book records conversations he once had with his old friend Hugo Belfounder – published without Hugo’s knowledge. Jake sets out to find Hugo but becomes caught up in a series of absurd escapades involving lost friendships, eccentric film projects, a kidnapped dog, and philosophical confusion.
Reasons to read Under the Net
Beneath the surface of Jake’s comic misadventures lies a deeper philosophical exploration of freedom, love, art, and the limits of language. Iris Murdoch was a British-Irish novelist and philosopher. “Under the Net” was her first published novel and has often appeared on lists of the greatest English-language novels – for instance, in 1998, Modern Library ranked it among the 100 best of the 20th century, and in 2005, Time magazine included it on their list of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923. Other notable works by Iris Murdoch include her novels “The Sea, The Sea” (winner of the 1978 Booker Prize), “The Bell”, “The Black Prince” (winner of the 1973 James Tait Black Memorial Prize), and her philosophical study “The Sovereignty of Good”.
Setting: London (England, UK)
Original title: Under the Net
Year of publication: 1954
Nr of pages: 320
