Absolutist

Paperback, 432 pages

English language

Published Aug. 13, 2012 by Transworld Publishers Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-552-77540-3
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(4 reviews)

It is September 1919: twenty-one-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, the man he fought alongside during the Great War.

But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan’s visit. He can no longer keep a secret and has finally found the courage to unburden himself of it. As Tristan recounts the horrific details of what to him became a senseless war, he also speaks of his friendship with Will—from their first meeting on the training grounds at Aldershot to their farewell in the trenches of northern France. The intensity of their bond brought Tristan happiness and self-discovery as well as confusion and unbearable pain.

The Absolutist is a masterful tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal set in one of the most gruesome trenches of France during World War I. This novel will …

17 editions

Review of 'Absolutist' on 'Goodreads'

John Boyne est un romancier de grand talent. Il a un talent incroyable pour écrire des personnages totalement humains, donc imparfaits, et des histoires mémorables. Je découvre progressivement sa bibliographie et je suis chaque fois épaté et emporté par ses récits.

« The Absolutist » ne fait pas exception. L’auteur nous offre une fiction historique de très haut niveau, sur la Première Guerre Mondiale, l’homosexualité telle qu’elle était vue et vécue à l’époque, et le sentiment de honte.

C’est un grand roman, terriblement efficace. Un régal à lire.

None

I'm in two minds about this book. The plot and the story line are quite good, and it is a very sad story. But the manner of its telling is not so good. The basic story is set in the First World War, where two new recruits, Tristan Sadler and Will Bancroft, stike up a friendship of sorts at Aldershot training camp. But they have different perceptions and expectations of their relationship, which sours when they go to the frontline trenches in France.

Tristan survives the war, but Will doesn't, and after the war Tristan goes to see Will's sister in Norwich, to take her the letters she had written to her brother, but also to tell her something about the manner of Will's death, which had brought disgrace on his family.

But the narrative seems unconvincing.

The blurb on the front cover says, "If you loved [b:Birdsong|6259|Birdsong A Novel …

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Subjects

  • Fiction, historical
  • World war, 1914-1918, fiction
  • Friendship, fiction
  • Fiction, war & military