By Accident

I've had a very hard time finding something to read. I have thousands of books in my bookstore and none of them were calling to me. Maybe it's because it's summer. Maybe I have too many choices. I've started a handful of books and then put them down. I'm sure they're good, but I'm just not interested. Then I picked up a book by Iris Murdoch called "An Accidental Man." I've read several others by her (The Sea, The Sea and The Unicorn) which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I started in. And I loved it!

It's a strange book. Basically, it tells the story of a man who just lets life happen to him. When things go wrong, he shifts the blame. When things go right, he takes the glory. There are dozens of characters in this book -- I almost needed notes to keep track of who was who. Each person revolves around the main character, touching him directly or indirectly, but never realistically. He just sort of "is." The dialogue is fast-paced and witty -- the driving force of the narrative.

I liked the book because it made me think of all of the interactions we have with people. Sometimes our encounters are brief and insignificant on the surface, but have a lasting impression. Other interactions are long term and intimate, yet suffer for lack of understanding or compatibility. The smallest events can have a huge impact on the course of our day. Or we can try for years and years to make changes and seem to fail miserably. There is a myriad of reasons why some relationships "work" and others don't. In essence, we need each other to fill certain roles.

And sometimes, the most profound moments of our lives happen "by accident."