Book Club October Review: The End of the Affair

[Fionn]

Graham Greene is one of my favourite writers - the conflict of religion and human desires is always a good subject for a book! I found the study of obsessive jealousy in this book fascinating (and familiar) and the threat of an unhappy ending hanging over the story very powerful.

I read this many years ago so I whizzed through it quickly to refresh my memory. It indicates Greene's own obsession with religion, but I'm a bit hazy on whether his own circumstances reflected the book's storyline. The obsessive natures of the two central characters would have surely been self-destructive even if the woman hadn't made her bargain with God.

I feel very guilty now reading your comments. I have read other Grahm Greene novels earlier, but not this one. I obvioulsy didn't think as deeply about as I should have. I found the first section of the book incredibly annoying - without having heard Sarah's side of the story I just wanted to slap Bendix and say 'get over it'. It wasn't until much later that you find out that he was involved in something more significant.
I agree with you Bettys that the relationship could well have proved self-destructive.