The Sea, The Sea – Iris Murdoch

It seems odd that this unwieldy beast of a novel won the Booker in the 1970s, I detect a whiff of a reward for lifetime achievement rather than this odd book. It tells the tale of a theatrical impresario retired to the seaside until his past comes back to haunt him. The echoes of The Tempest are exploited cleverly, and a curious strand of humour runs through it.