'Mystery always bulks larger. I had told him with a firm vagueness that I should be travelling abroad, no address. Why these lies? I suppose I did it partly to surprise him. I was a man who never went anywhere.'⁠ ⁠ Read an extract from The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch, our Book of the Month for November, at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ #BookerBOTM⁠