The Absolutist: A Novel by the Author of the Heart's Invisible Furies

By John Boyne

Book Overview

"A moving and deeply felt tribute to a love that dared to speak its name." --Andr Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name

A new edition of the beloved novel most similar thematically to the author's mega-bestseller The Heart's Invisible Furies

It is September 1919, and 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 he 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, unforgettable tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal set in one of the most gruesome trenches of France during World War I.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1635421667
• ISBN13: 9781635421668
• Release Date: April 2021
• Publisher: Other Press (NY)
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

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.