A severed head
Iris Murdoch
1961
In Iris Murdoch's "A Severed Head," a wealthy London academic's comfortable, if complacent, life unravels when his wife leaves him for a manipulative art dealer. As he navigates a series of increasingly bizarre and ethically questionable relationships with his former lover, his brother, and his ex-wife's new partner, he confronts the deceptive nature of love, desire, and identity. The novel explores the complexities of human connection and the search for truth within a world of intellectual pretense and emotional turmoil.