“I hated her, not because I didn't love her, but because I did. I hated her for the power she had over me, the way she could make me feel so alive and then so utterly desolate.”
— Maurice Bendrix's internal monologue about Sarah Miles.
Archivist's Choice
The End of the Affair
Graham Greene (2004)
Genre
Literary Fiction / Spirituality / Romance
Reading Time
240 min
Key Themes
See below
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During the London Blitz, a jilted lover's obsession with his former mistress reveals a spiritual mystery beyond their earthly relationship.
Synopsis
Maurice Bendrix, a writer in World War II London, has a passionate affair with Sarah Miles, his friend Henry's wife. Their secret relationship is intense until, during a bombing raid, Maurice's near-death experience causes Sarah to end it abruptly without explanation. Two years later, a chance meeting rekindles Maurice's feelings and jealousy. Suspecting Sarah is seeing another man, Maurice hires a private detective. The investigation leads to Sarah's diary, which Maurice reads. It reveals not a new lover, but a desperate promise to God, made when Sarah believed Maurice had died in the bombing. Sarah promised God she would give up her love for Maurice if he lived. Maurice struggles with this spiritual revelation, unable to understand Sarah's faith and sacrifice. As Sarah's health declines, which some attribute to her intense spiritual commitment, Maurice continues to fight against her God, even after she dies. Eventually, Henry also experiences a conversion, leaving Maurice isolated in his atheism, in a bitter final confrontation with the God who 'stole' his love.
Reading time
240 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Melancholy, Intense, Reflective, Obsessive, Spiritual
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy intense psychological dramas, explorations of faith and doubt, and complex love triangles set against a war-torn backdrop.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer lighthearted romance, straightforward narratives, or are put off by themes of religious struggle and existential despair.
Plot Summary
The Inciting Incident: A Chance Encounter
The story begins in London in 1946, two years after World War II and two years after Maurice Bendrix's passionate affair with Sarah Miles ended. Maurice, a novelist, meets Sarah’s husband, Henry Miles, a civil servant, by chance on a rainy night. Henry confides his suspicion that Sarah might be having an affair, an irony Maurice understands, having been Sarah's secret lover. This meeting reignites Maurice's dormant love and jealousy for Sarah, making him obsessively seek the truth behind their breakup. He considers confronting Sarah but decides instead to secretly uncover her secrets.
Hiring Parkis: The Investigation Begins
Driven by a need to understand why Sarah left him, Maurice hires a private detective. He contacts Mr. Parkis, a somewhat clumsy but earnest investigator, and tells him to follow Sarah, document her movements, and identify any men she might be seeing. Maurice gives Parkis details about Sarah's routine and appearance, carefully planning the surveillance. Parkis, with his young son, Lancelot, begins his work, reporting initial, often ordinary, observations to Maurice. Maurice's jealousy grows with each report, fueling his belief that Sarah must have found a new lover, even without concrete evidence.
The Stolen Diary: A Revelation
The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Parkis's son, Lancelot, who sometimes helps his father, steals Sarah's private diary from her handbag during a visit to the Miles' home. Parkis gives the diary to Maurice, who at first feels a pang of guilt, but his overwhelming curiosity and jealousy quickly override his scruples. Maurice begins to read the diary, expecting to find details of another affair, a rival lover. Instead, he discovers entries revealing a completely different, deeply spiritual, and intensely personal struggle within Sarah, centered on a promise she made to God during a crisis.
The Promise: Sarah's Vow to God
As Maurice reads deeper into Sarah's diary, he discovers the real reason for their breakup. During a severe bombing raid in 1944, a V-1 flying bomb hit near Maurice's flat while he was inside. Sarah, believing Maurice to be dead, rushed into the damaged building. When she found him alive, she made a spontaneous, desperate promise to God: if Maurice were spared, she would give him up forever and dedicate her life to Him. The diary entries describe her inner conflict, her deep love for Maurice, and her equally deep, agonizing commitment to this promise, which she felt bound to honor despite her immense pain.
Confrontation and Despair
With the knowledge from the diary, Maurice confronts Sarah. He demands an explanation, revealing that he knows about her promise. Sarah is shocked and defensive at first, but eventually confirms the diary's account, explaining the depth of her spiritual commitment and the pain it caused her to leave him. Maurice, unable to understand or accept her spiritual reasons, feels deeply betrayed and despairing. He sees her faith as a rival, a cruel trick that took her from him. Their meeting is full of raw emotion, love, and misunderstanding, leaving both of them heartbroken and further apart.
Henry's Suspicions and Sarah's Health
Henry Miles, still unaware of Maurice's past affair with Sarah but disturbed by her withdrawn behavior and his own growing loneliness, confides further in Maurice, ironically seeking his advice. He expresses his fear that Sarah is seeing someone, or perhaps even ill. Meanwhile, Sarah's health visibly declines. She becomes pale, weak, and distant, concerning both Henry and Maurice, who watches her from afar. This physical decline, with her intense spiritual struggle, suggests a deep inner battle affecting her body and soul. Maurice, still consumed by his own pain, struggles to connect her physical suffering with her spiritual devotion.
The Role of Father Crompton
As Sarah's spiritual journey deepens and her health worsens, she seeks advice from Father Crompton, a Catholic priest. Her diary entries, and later direct accounts, show her growing devotion and her efforts to understand and live by her promise. Father Crompton, initially somewhat skeptical of her sudden conversion, gradually recognizes the sincerity and depth of her faith. He becomes a confidant, guiding her through her spiritual struggles and helping her reconcile her past with her current commitment. This growing connection to the Church further alienates Maurice, who sees it as another barrier between him and Sarah, a rival for her affections.
Sarah's Death
Sarah's health continues to worsen dramatically, leading to her sudden death. The cause is not immediately clear, but it seems to be a rapid decline made worse by her deep internal struggles. Her death leaves both Maurice and Henry devastated. Henry, still largely unaware of her true spiritual life and her affair, is heartbroken by the loss of his wife. Maurice, consumed by grief and guilt, struggles to accept her absence, his anger at her God, and his lasting love for her. Her death leaves a void neither man knows how to fill, forcing them to confront their own beliefs and their relationship with the woman they both loved.
The Miracles and The Atheist's Struggle
After Sarah's death, a series of unexplained events occur, attributed to her intervention. Parkis's young son, Lancelot, who has a severe rash, recovers completely after believing Sarah will heal him. Later, a woman Sarah knew, with a birthmark on her face, finds the mark has disappeared. These 'miracles' deeply disturb Maurice, a staunch atheist. He tries to find rational explanations, dismissing them as coincidences or psychological effects. However, these events, with Sarah's deep faith shown in her diary, begin to erode his disbelief, forcing him to consider the possibility of a spiritual reality.
Henry's Conversion and Maurice's Isolation
Following Sarah's death and the strange occurrences, Henry Miles, previously indifferent to religion, begins to explore Catholicism. Influenced by Father Crompton and the perceived 'miracles,' Henry finds comfort and meaning in faith, seeing it as a way to connect with Sarah. He starts attending Mass and reading religious texts. Maurice, however, remains fiercely atheist, holding to his rationalism even as he struggles with his grief and the unsettling evidence of the miracles. He feels increasingly isolated from Henry and the world that seems to be embracing a spiritual explanation for Sarah's life and death, leaving him alone with his anger and despair.
The Final Confrontation with God
In the final sections, Maurice's struggle with God intensifies. He cannot accept Sarah's God, whom he sees as a rival who took her from him. He rages against this unseen force, blaming it for his loss and pain. Despite his intellectual atheism, he finds himself engaging in a perverse form of prayer, addressing God directly, challenging Him, and even begging Him for Sarah's return. Maurice's grief and anger become a reluctant and resentful acknowledgment of a power beyond his understanding. He feels God's presence not as comforting, but as an oppressive, all-consuming rival who has triumphed over his human love, leaving him in a state of tormented, isolated belief.
Principal Figures
Maurice Bendrix
The Protagonist
Maurice begins as a bitter atheist consumed by human love and jealousy, and through Sarah's spiritual journey and death, he is forced to confront the existence of God, albeit as a rival.
Sarah Miles
The Central Figure
Sarah transforms from an adulterous lover consumed by human passion to a deeply devout woman dedicated to God, sacrificing her earthly love for a spiritual commitment.
Henry Miles
The Supporting
Henry begins as an unsuspecting husband, largely peripheral to Sarah's emotional life, and through her death and the subsequent 'miracles,' he finds an unexpected path to faith.
Mr. Parkis
The Supporting
Parkis begins as a professional investigator, and through his involvement, he becomes a witness and believer in the inexplicable events surrounding Sarah's death.
Lancelot Parkis
The Supporting
Lancelot's actions unwittingly propel the plot forward, and he becomes a recipient of one of the 'miracles,' demonstrating Sarah's spiritual power.
Father Crompton
The Supporting
Father Crompton serves as a spiritual mentor, guiding Sarah in her faith and later influencing Henry's path to Catholicism.
Themes & Insights
The Nature of Love (Human vs. Divine)
The novel explores the conflict between human, passionate, often possessive love and divine, selfless, spiritual love. Maurice's love for Sarah is intensely human, marked by jealousy and a desire for control. Sarah's journey, however, shifts from this human love to a deep, almost agonizing divine love for God, which makes her sacrifice her earthly desires. This theme is central to the 'affair's end,' as Sarah's love for God becomes a rival Maurice cannot understand or defeat. The entire story is framed by Maurice's struggle to understand or accept this higher form of love.
“If I believed in God, I would say that God had taken her, but I don't believe in God, so I just say that she's gone.”
Faith and Doubt
Greene shows the intricate relationship between faith and doubt. Maurice is a staunch atheist whose worldview is systematically challenged by Sarah's unwavering faith and the unexplained 'miracles' after her death. His atheism is less a calm intellectual position and more an aggressive, almost religious rejection of God. Sarah, on the other hand, experiences a sudden, overwhelming conversion that leads to absolute faith, despite her human weaknesses. The novel does not offer easy answers but immerses the reader in the deep internal struggles of both belief and disbelief, suggesting that faith often begins in doubt and pain, and doubt can be a way of engaging with the divine.
“I hate You, God, I hate You as though You existed.”
Obsession and Jealousy
Maurice's character is largely defined by his obsessive love and jealousy. After Sarah ends their affair, his love quickly turns into an all-consuming obsession to uncover her secrets. He hires a detective, reads her diary, and relentlessly seeks the 'truth,' driven by a possessive desire to reclaim her or understand who replaced him. This jealousy extends even to God, whom Maurice sees as a rival who stole Sarah's affection. His obsession blinds him to Sarah's true spiritual state for much of the novel, fueling his bitterness and making his grief even deeper.
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses a moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.”
The Search for Meaning and Purpose
Each main character, in their own way, searches for meaning. Henry Miles, in his ordinary life, is unaware of true passion until Sarah's death forces him to rethink his life. Maurice seeks meaning in human love and intellectual pursuits, but is left empty when Sarah leaves him, and his ultimate confrontation with God is a desperate, though angry, search for purpose. Sarah, however, finds her ultimate meaning and purpose in her promise to God, sacrificing earthly happiness for a deep spiritual fulfillment, showing that meaning can be found in unexpected and difficult places.
“When you loved me, I gave you nothing. Now I love you, I give you everything.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The Stolen Diary
A physical object that reveals the central mystery and shifts the narrative's direction.
The stolen diary is the pivotal plot device. It is not merely a means of information, but a direct conduit into Sarah's inner spiritual world, revealing her vow to God. Before the diary, Maurice's investigation is driven by jealousy and suspicion of another man. The diary completely upends his assumptions, transforming the narrative from a detective story about adultery into a profound exploration of faith, sacrifice, and the nature of love. It forces Maurice, and the reader, to confront a spiritual reality he vehemently denies.
First-Person Narration (Unreliable Narrator)
Maurice Bendrix's biased perspective shapes the reader's understanding of events.
The novel is narrated in the first person by Maurice Bendrix, making him an inherently unreliable narrator. His perspective is deeply colored by his jealousy, cynicism, and atheism. He interprets events through his own lens of bitterness and possessiveness, often misjudging Sarah's motives and the true nature of her spiritual journey. This device forces the reader to constantly question Maurice's interpretations, piece together the truth from Sarah's diary and other characters' actions, and ultimately experience the story's spiritual themes through the eyes of a deeply conflicted, skeptical individual.
The Miracles
Supernatural events that challenge Maurice's rational worldview.
The 'miracles' that occur after Sarah's death – Lancelot's rash disappearing, and the woman's birthmark vanishing – serve as crucial plot devices to challenge Maurice's staunch atheism. These inexplicable events provide tangible, albeit disputed, evidence of a spiritual power at work, forcing Maurice to confront the possibility of God's existence. They are not explicitly confirmed as divine interventions, leaving room for Maurice's rationalizations, but their cumulative effect relentlessly chips away at his disbelief, pushing him towards a grudging, angry acknowledgment of a power beyond human comprehension.
Flashbacks
Non-linear storytelling used to reveal the history of Maurice and Sarah's affair.
The novel uses extensive flashbacks to gradually reveal the history and intensity of Maurice and Sarah's affair. The present-day narrative, driven by Maurice's investigation, is constantly interrupted by his memories of their passionate encounters, their secret life, and the emotional complexities of their relationship. This non-linear structure allows Greene to build the emotional weight of their past love, making Sarah's eventual decision to leave Maurice even more poignant and the mystery of her departure more compelling. It also highlights the depth of Maurice's grief and longing.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“When you loved someone, you too wanted to be good. You begged for a grace, and you didn't know why, and if there was no God, you would invent Him.”
— Bendrix reflecting on Sarah's sudden turn to faith.
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses a moment from which to look forward or back.”
— The opening line of the novel, setting the narrative structure.
“There are times when I think we are all in the process of creating our own hell.”
— Bendrix's cynical view of human nature and relationships.
“Pity is a rather useless emotion. It's too close to contempt.”
— Bendrix's harsh judgment of pity, often directed at himself or others.
“I caught a glimpse of what it must be like to be good – for nothing. To be good for goodness' sake.”
— Bendrix observing Sarah's actions, hinting at her burgeoning faith.
“Sex is a matter of biology. Love is a matter of choice. And sometimes, a matter of will.”
— Bendrix distinguishing between physical desire and deeper affection.
“We are all of us, always, in search of God, though we may not know it.”
— A reflection on the innate human search for meaning and transcendence.
“I have loved you with a love that was a disease, and now I hate you with a hate that is a disease.”
— Bendrix describing the intense and destructive nature of his feelings for Sarah.
“To be loved, to be truly loved, is to be changed forever.”
— A poignant realization about the transformative power of love.
“It's a strange thing, isn't it? That we can know someone so intimately, and yet still know so little.”
— Bendrix musing on the elusive nature of understanding another person, even a lover.
“The sense of being watched, not by a person, but by something else, something vast and indifferent.”
— Bendrix's feeling of a divine or cosmic presence, even before his full understanding of Sarah's faith.
“There is a great loneliness in the world, and it is the loneliness of men who have no God.”
— A more explicit statement about the void left by a lack of faith.
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.”
— A thought that reflects the struggle with desire and self-control, echoing Wilde but with Greene's own nuance.
“Human nature is not a thing that can be improved. It is a thing that can only be endured.”
— Bendrix's pessimistic and often bitter view of humanity's inherent flaws.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
Maurice Bendrix is driven by an intense and possessive love for Sarah Miles, which, after her abrupt departure, transforms into a consuming jealousy and obsession. He cannot accept her leaving without a rational explanation and seeks to uncover the truth behind her sudden withdrawal from their affair, leading him to hire a private detective.
About the author
Henry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century.
