When was the last time I mentioned I am a moron? Well, let me re-iterate: I am a complete and utter moron who deserved what she got. No, really, I did. So I finished In Cold Blood and that left me with a bit of a bitter taste so I thought I’d go for something a bit lighter. So I looked at the piles of books that people have kindly donated towards my challenge and thought: “Graham Greene! I know him! I read Travels with my Aunt ages ago and that was fun. I’ll go for that!”
Poor deluded moron.
The End of the Affair is most certainly not fun. It is upsetting and tough and a tiny bit claustrophobic. It is the story of a love triangle between Sarah, Henry her husband and the narrator, Bendrix. Both men love Sarah, Sarah loves Bendrix, Bendrix hates Henry, Henry is confused and voila - Love triangle galore. This is the part that I point out how amazed I am by Greene’s skill - he managed to write a story where I did want to know what happened next even though it was populated by seriously unpleasant characters. That takes some skill. Bendrix had the most annoying mental voice since Bella Swan (sorry Twilight fans, Bella annoys me). He played all tough and mighty and what-have-you but the bottom line is he spent most of the book whining! And when he wasn’t whining or feeling sorry for himself he could teach Draco Malfoy a thing or two about smugness (Check me out and my Young Adult references!). So that’s Bendrix out of the way, now for Henry: By far the least annoying of the lot, with very few redeeming qualities other than the fact his heart is in the right place. He needs a spine transplant asap.
And last but certainly not least: Sarah. I don’t know what to say about Sarah. I mean, a Freudian would have a field day about her. I didn’t have to read her father’s abandonement to know she had daddy issues! But that’s really as far as I can tell you about her. There is nothing to her. I didn’t see any character. Nothing that made her Sarah - neither good or bad! Just nothing! If I had been told that in her free time she hunted puppies for sport and made coats out of them I would have been a bit more sympathetic. She would have some personality then! By not having a personality she makes both Bendrix and Henry look like complete fools - I can’t for the life of me tell you what it is they loved about her...
I think the whole point of this was not really the story of Henry/Bendrix/Sarah but Greene’s issues with the Catholic faith. And boy is he sore about it... Bendrix presents such exceptional anger against religion he sort of looks like a caricature. His anger, mixed with serious confusion about what respect for others is, makes him act like he is on the verge of nervous breakdown. Here be spoilers: The bottom line is: Bendrix, who has drilled it into our head how much he loves Sarah, chooses to disregard her last wishes because he thinks he has a score to settle with God. Hmmmm....
Up next: Much Ado About Nothing
Enjoyed it: I don’t know, it made me think.
Read Again: No, not really.
247 days remaining - 22 books down, 1 unfinished, 78 left.
Poor deluded moron.
The End of the Affair is most certainly not fun. It is upsetting and tough and a tiny bit claustrophobic. It is the story of a love triangle between Sarah, Henry her husband and the narrator, Bendrix. Both men love Sarah, Sarah loves Bendrix, Bendrix hates Henry, Henry is confused and voila - Love triangle galore. This is the part that I point out how amazed I am by Greene’s skill - he managed to write a story where I did want to know what happened next even though it was populated by seriously unpleasant characters. That takes some skill. Bendrix had the most annoying mental voice since Bella Swan (sorry Twilight fans, Bella annoys me). He played all tough and mighty and what-have-you but the bottom line is he spent most of the book whining! And when he wasn’t whining or feeling sorry for himself he could teach Draco Malfoy a thing or two about smugness (Check me out and my Young Adult references!). So that’s Bendrix out of the way, now for Henry: By far the least annoying of the lot, with very few redeeming qualities other than the fact his heart is in the right place. He needs a spine transplant asap.
And last but certainly not least: Sarah. I don’t know what to say about Sarah. I mean, a Freudian would have a field day about her. I didn’t have to read her father’s abandonement to know she had daddy issues! But that’s really as far as I can tell you about her. There is nothing to her. I didn’t see any character. Nothing that made her Sarah - neither good or bad! Just nothing! If I had been told that in her free time she hunted puppies for sport and made coats out of them I would have been a bit more sympathetic. She would have some personality then! By not having a personality she makes both Bendrix and Henry look like complete fools - I can’t for the life of me tell you what it is they loved about her...
I think the whole point of this was not really the story of Henry/Bendrix/Sarah but Greene’s issues with the Catholic faith. And boy is he sore about it... Bendrix presents such exceptional anger against religion he sort of looks like a caricature. His anger, mixed with serious confusion about what respect for others is, makes him act like he is on the verge of nervous breakdown. Here be spoilers: The bottom line is: Bendrix, who has drilled it into our head how much he loves Sarah, chooses to disregard her last wishes because he thinks he has a score to settle with God. Hmmmm....
Up next: Much Ado About Nothing
Enjoyed it: I don’t know, it made me think.
Read Again: No, not really.
247 days remaining - 22 books down, 1 unfinished, 78 left.
No comments:
Post a Comment