Throughout the work of Iris Murdoch, one finds an almost-unending commentary on forgiveness and its relation to friendship and one’s personal well-being. This chapter evaluates the different senses of forgiveness in both her novels and philosophical work. One may forgive others, oneself, or even the ‘past’ itself. In the Christian tradition, forgiveness is principally about reconciliation (whether between God and the individual or individuals themselves). Personal well-being is a consequence of reconciliation. Murdoch reverses this order, prioritizing forgiveness as the means towards personal well-being over reconciliation. Some characters achieve personal well-being in the explicit absence of any meaningful reconciliation. This chapter evaluates the implications of this reversal. For Murdoch, forgiveness is essential for discovering (in the words of her character Willy Kost) ‘the beautiful, unexpected strangeness of the world.’