Welcome to our first read-along discussion of The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read Book One and Book Two.
Spoiler warning: We will be discussing Book One and Book Two of The End of the Affair in detail, both in this post and the comments section.
In keeping with our previous Graham Greene read-along, we’ll start by breaking the story down into its components, and discussing what we like or don’t like about each one.
Setting: In comparing this book with The Heart of the Matter, there isn’t as strong of a sense of setting. It’s London, and I read so much British fiction that this is a very familiar setting for me. When he wrote The Quiet American, set in Vietnam, or The Heart of the Matter, set in Africa, there was a lot of description and vivid imagery that placed the reader into the world of the book. I don’t get this sense with The End of the Affair, but then again, it’s not really necessary for this story.
Characters: Once again, I get the idea that Greene is not a big fan of humans in general! I don’t care much for our main character, Maurice Bendrix. He is self-obsessed. He would say he is obsessed with Sarah, but in reality, he’s only bothered by the fact that she didn’t stay with him and that she could be with someone else.
Henry is one of those weak, oblivious husband types; I have no patience for men like that. How could you be married to someone for so long and not know that they were completely unsatisfied and unhappy?
Sarah is still an enigma to me. I’m assuming we’re going to learn more from her now that Bendrix has his hands on her journal. And I have a premonition that she hasn’t been up to what he thinks she’s been up to.
Plot: I was drawn into the story of this novel much more quickly than with The Heart of the Affair. It seems very plot-driven, but the beauty of the writing doesn’t suffer any for that fact. I have an idea of what Bendrix is about to discover, but don’t want to give anything away in case I’m correct. I’m sure you do, too – there has been a bit of foreshadowing.
Writing: While I wouldn’t call Greene’s books “fun” reads, the beauty of the writing is what keeps me coming back for more. Passages like this one from page 70:
We had only just lain down on the bed when the raid started. It made no difference. Death never mattered at those times – in the early days I even used to pray for it: the shattering annihilation that would prevent forever the getting up, the putting on of clothes, the watching her torch trail across to the opposite side of the Common like the tail-light of a slow car driving away. I have wondered sometimes whether eternity might not after all exist as the endless prolongation of the moment of death, and that was the moment I would have chosen, that I would still choose if she were alive, the moment of absolute trust and absolute pleasure, the moment when it was impossible to quarrel because it was impossible to think.
What do you think so far? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below, or else write up your own post and then leave me a link so I can read it.
Twitter: bookjourney
says:
This sounds so interesting – I wish I would have had time to join in. Feels like I can barely keep up these days
Sheila (Book Journey)´s last post ..Morning Meanderings… Library Sale Finds!!! (You know there will be giveaways!)
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sheila – I know the feeling! I am hosting the Graham Greene reading challenge – and I found the best way to make sure I met my challenge was to host read-alongs. Not sure if I’ll have many joining me this time – August is a slowwwwww blogging month!
Twitter: wordsandpeace
says:
Thanks, I love the way you do it.
Here are my comments on these components:
- Setting: the story takes place during the 2nd World War in London, at the time of the Blitz. Even though Greene does not highlight so far too much the historical and geographical setting, there are some scenes very closely related to the Blitz, Bendrix for one thing, almost died in it. I thought it was important to know when it was taking place: for me, it even added to the ambiance of gloom and pending disaster that I felt as early as the opening pages. This is a book in which I feel very uncomfortable, a place I would not dream to be, and knowing where and when it happened makes it even worse.
- Characters: I hate all of them. I keep reading the book because I committed to this read-along, because it’s a classic, and because I’m partly curious to know how this is going to evolve.
Maurice Bendrix is a very self-absorbed man, focused on his literary work and his possible success in life, and using anything and anyone he can for this end. I hate the way he started an affair with this woman, because he wanted to know more about the life of her husband, in order to describe better in his own novel a character sharing the same job. This is too egotistical and too pragmatic for me to like that character.
It also seems something more terrible is coming up, not sure yet what. He seems so hypocritical, a man with many facades. What can come next?
Ah! When I wrote “for this end”, 2 lines above, I realize there could be a double meaning in the title:
- the affair will end one day, and we see or will see how
- the affair started because Bendrix had a goal/an aim/an end in mind!
Funny, I didn’t think of that before, it shows how good it is to write about what you read!
Henry is very weak, we don’t feel he has any real personality, and no loving relationship with his wife. Maybe also too absorbed in his own job. Not sure what else to say about him.
Sarah seems also to be hypocritical to me and having several facades and some possible agenda, though we don’t know yet what.
- The Plot: it is very slow to me, focusing more on relationships. But things are probably to accelerate in Book 3, as we are going to read Sarah’s journal and discover what’s really going on, I assume.
- The Writing: I like the writing itself, especially the way the author integrates reflections on the fact of reading or writing, and addresses the reader directly. Some passages pertain to the genre of a book within a book, and I like that.
My post is here, with some ping back to your post of course:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/08/17/the-end-of-the-affair-august-read-along-part-1/
Looking forward to more comments here
Emma @ Words And Peace´s last post ..The End of The Affair: August Read-along, part 1
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Emma – I like what you said about the time period of the Blitz adding to the mood. I wonder if their affair would have lasted as long as it did if it hadn’t been for the intensity created by the war. I like the wordplay, too – how describing his relationship with Sarah as an “affair” implies that it was something that happened, something that has already ended. Great thoughts here – I’m heading over to read your post now.
Twitter: wordsandpeace
says:
Thanks!
I liked what you added here about intensity/war, I agree.
This is so interesting, too bad we don’t have more participants
Emma @ Words And Peace´s last post ..The End of The Affair: August Read-along, part 1
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Emma – I know. I kind of figured we wouldn’t have a lot of participants, though, with it being August.
Twitter: wordsandpeace
says:
I was looking for a reading guide for another novel, and discovered this one. I don’t know if you know that site, maybe these questions will help you for our discussion: http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8554-end-of-the-affair-greene?start=3
Emma @ Words And Peace´s last post ..(2012) #43 review: Antony and Cleopatra
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Thanks for the tip, Emma – I’ll check it out!
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