The End of the Affair: Book 5, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Even though Bendrix once joked to himself that Henry would ask him to move in, he is surprised when the invitation comes. Henry tells Bendrix that he has plenty of space in his apartment for Bendrix to move his books and other things in—Henry also says that Bendrix would be doing him a favor by agreeing to do this. Henry goes on to say that he regrets not giving Sarah a Catholic funeral. Bendrix tells him that it would have been ridiculous to do that because Sarah “was no more a Catholic” than either of them. After a short back and forth about man’s inability to prove or disprove the existence of God, Henry repeats his wish for Bendrix to move in with him.

Suddenly, Henry asks Bendrix if there is any tension remaining between them, especially since Henry got mad at Bendrix about hiring a detective. Bendrix tells Henry to forget about it. Henry goes on to say that Sarah was a good woman and it wasn’t her fault that he had been unable to “love her properly.” Henry begins talking about his house and how it doesn’t feel empty with Sarah gone: “Because she’s always away, she’s never away.” Henry apologizes for talking about Sarah so much but explains that he has nobody else to talk to about her. However, he mentions that he met a man named Parkis who claimed to know Sarah and wanted to have something of hers to give his son. Bendrix explains, to Henry’s surprise, who Parkis is, and then he agrees to move into Henry’s house.