Book Review: THE END OF THE AFFAIR by Graham Greene

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I didn't know it but You moved in the pain."

WARNING: This book will break your heart! And oh, how wish I knew what I was getting into, otherwise I would not have read this book while waiting for my ride to work. I wanted to break down and cry after A CERTAIN PART but had to reschedule my breakdown because of professionalism. So I spent the day in agony, all outwardly movements correct, but inside I was screaming, counting down the minutes til I could finish the pages.

And now I'm madly typing at my keyboard, sniffling like a besotted lover. What an experience!

This is no simple, tawdry tale of adultery (although of course it begins that way). This is a story of black souls redeemed. Of saints who started out as sinners, and the beauty and grace of the Catholic faith. Greene writes of loss and pain like no other, and his genius lies in showing Heaven even in the Hell of wartime England, of people's immense capacity for saintly grace despite their morality seemingly lost. This book has the power to convict and convert its readers. The pain and doubt we all feel but don't dare form into words simply flows from Greene's pen as if written in his own blood, so when he writes it is as if he has peered into the smallest, meanest portion of your soul, the one we are most ashamed of and try to hide, even from ourselves. But instead of being repulsed by it, Greene offers comfort: The divine CAN be found in fallenness, and there IS hope yet for even the most wicked and petty of hearts.

Consider this the equivalent of me shoving your nose into this book, crying READ IT READ IT READ IT!

(And if this review barely gave away any details, it is because it would ruin the experience if I did. So be kind, dear reader, and don't give away any spoilers to Obi-wan, the same way I didn't spoil this Greene masterpiece for you!)

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