Our Lady of the Assumption

Our Lady of the Assumption is the church Gerry Fenn enters with Sue and Ben in the novel’s closing scene. Its open doorway becomes the setting for a tentative return to shared religious space: Gerry approaches still troubled by the shrine disaster, but joins them and goes inside.

The Final Approach

Before entering, Gerry looks toward the church while recalling the glow he saw at the shrine, a sight that continues to haunt him but also seems to give him courage. He wonders whether the white-gowned woman he thought he glimpsed within the radiance was another delusion. The doubt is unsettled by Ben’s later question about the lovely lady in white standing by the tree while people screamed and the altar burned. The church is not presented as an answer to these questions; instead, it is where Gerry must decide whether to turn toward Sue and Ben despite his uncertainty.

The Closing Scene

Sue leads Ben up the short flight of steps to the open doorway. Gerry hesitates at the church gate, then sees Sue turn and smile. He walks up the path to join them, and the three enter Our Lady of the Assumption together. The movement from hesitation to shared entry closes the novel on an image of connection and possible faith, while leaving the identity and nature of the woman in white unresolved.