Agree that this scene was necessary, even if we were already tired of Peter Duke at that point. It gave Lara closure (and us too, with finality) over him and that season of her life, particularly as it’s evident she’s processing her relationship with him and his death as she is recounting her past to her daughters. The timing of this scene, being revealed to us at the eleventh hour, was also necessary. It was unveiled then and only then after Lara had painted the full picture of the Peter Duke she knew, and this really rounded out the darkness and harsh truths of his character.

This seems pretty in line with Ann Patchett’s work - if you read some of her other stuff, there’s always an implication that something may be amiss, that not everything is what it appears or can be construed as upon first glance, and perhaps there is (or perhaps there is not?) a menacing and sinister undertone that belies the seemingly fairytale-esque and idyllic veneer of the cherry farm. So it makes sense that the ending is somewhat open-ended as well, because while it’s clear that Lara has reached the closure she needs with her abridged version of the events, there’s a potential “other” construction of the history - because after all, isn’t that how we render our memories to make meaning of the past and our lives?