The Absolutist

by John Boyne

Book Overview

"A novel of immeasurable sadness, in a league with Graham Greene's The End of the Affair. John Boyne is very, very good at portraying the destructive power of a painfully kept secret." --John Irving, National Book Award-winning author of The Cider House Rules

A masterfully told tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal set in the gruesome trenches of World War I.

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 keep readers on the edge of their seats until its most extraordinary and unexpected conclusion, and will stay with them long after they've turned the last page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590515528
• ISBN13: 9781590515525
• Release Date: July 2012
• Publisher: Other Press (NY)
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Profound and Heartbreaking

I can't really remember how I came across this book. Maybe it was in a Reddit thread. But I thought, "Oh man, a gay war book? Count me in!!!" My heart was unprepared. This book will rip your heart out, beat it with an axe, and then leave with no apologies. I want to read it again and again. It's short. John Boyne doesn't use unnecessary words. Every word is chosen, and every single unimportant word was removed. It's written with such painstaking care.