The Absolutist

This book was well written and definitely kept my interest. I learned a lot more about World War I, probably more than I ever wanted to know. Be in a good mood when you read it. It is definitely a heavy book and can be very depressing.

a great story told well
this book has a complex story and the characters were well drawn-it is a story for adults-great author
if you like flowery romance this is not for you
best book i've read in a long time

As an author with combat experience, I was hopeful when I began this read, but John Boyne takes an extremely difficult subject and makes it gloom upon gloom, there are no winners here, everyone loses. Certainly there were gays in WWI combat, as in all wars, but here they are treated as total misfits, when in fact they were nothing more than sensitive teenagers thrust into extreme and deadly emotional tragedy. Such characters require strong leadership from other characters, but the leader here, (there seemed to be only one in the entire British Army) himself suffering severe battle fatigue, is made into an ogre. John even attempts to throw concientious objection and cowardice into the mix. It leaves the reader dissapointed with every character in the book, including the main character. There are no protagonists or antagonists in this story, just victims of the British WWI experience.

Not exactly what I expected, but I read it through. Seemed initially to focus on WWI, but ultimately, the real focus was elsewhere, with no clear ending or solution/recommendation for the issues raised.

I bought this book with no specific knowledge of the subject matter other than it was set during the trench warfare era of World War I. It was well written but did deal with a subject matter that would make many readers, including me, uncomfortable. While that subject matter was handled with carefully, I still was not at peace reading about the inner workings of the protagonist's mind. The book finishes with an unexpected twist but I cannot truly recommend this novel to the general reading public due to the subject matter that is presented. It should be noted this is a novel with extreme sexual references of an unusual type.

John Boyne's "The Absolutist" is the story of two British WW1 soldiers who are bonded through the terrors of the trenches and the horrors of warfare. One survives - forever damaged - and the other one is brought down by a firing squad on charges of cowardice.

The term "absolutist" is applied to a soldier who refuses to fight or take part in any wartime actions. They are different from "conscientious objectors", who were willing to serve in auxiliary roles at the front, i.e., nurses, stretcher bearers, ambulance drivers, etc. "Absolutists" refused - point-blank - to serve at all. These two men - only 18 years old when they meet at training school and then are sent to France to fight - are witnesses - and sometime participants - in brutality beyond description.

Tristan Sadler survived the war, returning to London and an entry-level job in the publishing industry. Still shattered by war-time experiences, he contacts the sister of his friend who was killed by the firing squad. Sadler has letters that his friend, Will Bancroft, had entrusted to him. These were letters to Will from his sister, Marian, and Sadler feels honor-bound to return the letters to Marian. He travels to Norwich to meet Marian and her parents. The Bancroft family is living as pariahs in their community because of the way Will Bancroft met his end.
Disgraced as the family of a "coward", Sadler tries to explain to them the circumstances of Will's declaration of his "absolutism" in wartime and the attendant result.

But there are secrets that Tristan cannot tell Will Bancroft's mourning family. And these secrets are what John Boyne so cunningly dole out in his novel. There's no black-and-white here, except maybe in the horrors of the trenches. Each character is nuanced, as are the situations that arise in the book.

Although most of The Absolutist centers on the horrors of World War I, Irish author John Boyne has created a novel which goes beyond the typical "war story" and becomes also a study of character and values. This broader scope allows the novel to appeal to a wider audience interested in seeing the effects of war on the main character, Tristan Sadler, as he lives the rest of his life. More a popular novel than a "literary" novel in its style, Boyne has constructed the plot with alternating time settings - before, during, and after the war - to take full advantage of the elements of surprise. The author often hints at personal catastrophes or dramatic events in one part of the novel, creating a sense of suspense and foreboding, then develops these secrets in grand fashion in another part, keeping the pace so lively that it is difficult for the reader to find a place to stop.

The novel begins in 1919, when Tristan Sadler, now twenty, arrives in Norwich, England, to return the letters that his deceased friend Will received from his sister during the war. Though war has been over for nine months, Tristan still suffers from nervousness and stress-related shaking, particularly of his right hand and index finger. Flashing back three years, the author then presents Tristan as a seventeen-year-old who has been thrown out of home and family. With no one who cares whether he is alive or dead, he enlists and trains as a soldier at Aldershot under a sadistic sergeant, totally committed to the war and to the killing. Eventually, he and his group of twenty men sail for France.

As the action of the novel follows Tristan back and forth between Norfolk in June, 1919, and France in July - September, 1916, the author creates suspense by having the characters in 1919 refer to events from 1916 which the author has not yet introduced, leaving the reader to wonder about the mysteries that underlie Tristan's visit. Some of these mysteries also evolve from Tristan's memories of his own childhood, some of which connect with what happens in France. Two characters in his group in France prove to be conscientious objectors, and they chat with Tristan about their feelings. Serving as stretcher-bearers, many of whom die, these men have dared to challenge the "moral absolute" of war and do not fire their guns.

Though author Boyne provides plot twists galore, the pattern of the plot structure itself eventually becomes predictable, with constant loose ends leading to mysteries which are then reconciled through new information. At times, the reader may feel manipulated, his/her feelings held captive by the author until he can reveal yet another surprise. Any big questions about characters arise from information withheld, rather than from conclusions the reader develops for him/herself on the basis of the action, a more subtle approach. In fact, the first "surprise" of the novel is one most readers will guess almost immediately. Tristan's appearance in the conclusion as an eighty-year-old man, brings his life up to date, as he reviews his decisions and behavior, but it also feels artificial - and convenient. The novel presents thoughtful contrasts between "absolutists" and those who see compromise as essential to survival, and though the novel is very serious, with no humor to leaven it, The Absolutist is a riveting and fast-paced experience.

The Absolutist is a conscientious objector, one who refuses not only to be involved in the dirty business of taking arms against an enemy but also to help in any way the war effort by carrying out ancillary tasks. They were nicknamed Feather men.... (The notion of a white feather representing cowardice goes back to the 18th century, arising from the belief that a white feather in the tail of a game bird denoted poor quality. To 'show the white feather' was therefore to be 'unmanly)Tristan Sadler and Will Bancroft two fresh faced recruits meet in Aldershot as they prepare for life in the trenches, the defining image of World War 1. "In Aldershot they weren't teaching us how to fight, they were training us how to extend our lives for as long as possible"......

John Boyne's writing is magnificent as always, his scenes of young raw recruits standing like lambs to the slaughter, or waiting to be butchered by the enemy's machine gunfire, is heartbreaking to read...."We forget that we have very nearly died today as we wait to die again tomorrow"......"Each of us fell at a different point on the spectrum from pacifism to unremitting sadism"...... At the start of the story Tristan is travelling to Norwich to meet Will's sister and deliver some personal letters, he is also hoping to unburden himself by revealing a secret, a secret that he has held within him for many years. The narrative alternates between the start and finish of WW1 and those who survived returned home deeply traumatized to a country unable to cope with or indeed understand the repercussions of shell shock more commonly known today as PTSD...."Twenty boys. And only two came back. One who went mad and myself. But that doesn't mean we survived it. I don't think I did survive it. I may not be buried in a French field but I linger there"........

The Absolutist is about friendship, unrequited love, the morals of the time, and what happens if we try to live outside what society views as righteous and good. It is about the evil and brutality that humans can inflict on each other and in its graphic descriptions it illustrates what life (if we can call it that) was like for young men in the trenches...most would be lucky to survive more than 6 weeks....." I close my eyes for a moment . How long will it be, I wonder, two minutes, three, before I am over the sandbags too? Is my life to end tonight?"In the last chapter we meet Tristan as an old man, success as a writer has done little to ease his conscience or dampen the memory of those bygone days. The final sentence is probably one of the most poignant I have read for many years. A truly outstanding novel John Boyne once again asserts himself as not only a gifted author but possessing an uncanny understanding of the human spirit and what is to live. to love, and for that love never to be returned. Highly, highly recommended

The book was well written, at least from a grammatical point of view, and interesting as an historical novel. However, to me it came off as self-indulgent. As in 'The Kite Runner' it's about a guy seeking absolution through confession. If a friend is treated poorly while he's alive, it's too late to make it right after he's gone. Maybe that's the lesson here. But why create characters and then destroy them?

I imagine that there were Irish descendants who were eager to defend the British Crown with their lives. There are perhaps four characters that were well developed in this story, and the rest were rather rigid stereotypes. I was somewhat disappointed with the plot. Boyles' main character, Tristan, seems to be balanced but in fact is unbalanced to the point that he challenges my credibility. He is not quite an unreliable narrator and not quite credible. The book held my attention to the end, but halfway through it was obvious how it would all turn out.

Admirers of Irish author, John Boyne (I am one) and readers who like literary fiction with a tale-end twist will almost certainly enjoy Boyne’s 2011 novel, The Absolutist. As is typical of Boyne, the story focuses on emotions; he’s a master in this regard.

Set in Britain and France during and shortly after WW1, it tells the story of the relationship between two young soldiers. One is the (very) flawed narrator, Tristan Sadler (17 when he signs up for training) and Will Bancroft, who is marginally older. Sadler returns to Britain after the war, but Will does not.

The story cuts between Tristan’s visit to Will’s sister in Norwich in 1919, and his experience (and relationship with Will) during the war. In some ways, it’s a simple story, and it is certainly deftly structured and a fluent read. On the other hand, it deals with complex subjects like shame, guilt, unrequited love, moral ambiguity, conscientious objection, the emancipation of women, war, and what constitutes bravery versus cowardice. The war scenes, which are told in the present tense, are gruesome and graphic.

But, what matters most in the novel is what Tristan (a teenager, remember) saw and did during the war, and how this determines the man he will become and the life he will lead. It’s a tragic coming-of-age story, which, when the reader learns the dreadful truth about what happened to Will, makes you realise there is little hope for comfort for the narrator – but does that change at the end?

The Absolutist is an effortless, but powerful read, which (unlike Boyne’s 2017 The Heart’s Invisible Furies, which, while I liked it for the most part, I felt could have finished earlier than it did) ends at the perfect time; that is, at a point that leaves you wishing it was a little longer.

5561. The Absolutist, by John Boyne (read 27 May 2018) I read the author's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on 2 Jan 2009 and his The Thief of Time on 25 Jan 2009 but was not moved to read this book by my memory of those books, but rather because this book was about World War One and I have a much interest in World War One both as history and in fiction. But I could not find this book enjoyable reading. The characters' behavior was so erratic that they seemed false, though I realize that in fiction characters can act erratically even though they sound unlikely. The main characters in this novel I thought irritatingly unreasonable and self-centered. and there was seldom a time as I read the book that I was impressed by what was happening.or what was being said.

The Absolutist is set in England and France. Half the plot occurs during World War I with the rest occurring after the war when a vet, Tristan Sadler, travels to Norwich from London to deliver a set of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, a soldier who fought in France, alongside Tristan. Will died during the war, but not in battle. He was executed for an act of cowardice. The book has multiple themes running through it including the horrors of war, the issues homosexuals dealt with in an era more repressive than our current time, and a definition of bravery.

Tristan lies about his age so he can enlist at seventeen. The reason he feels the need to escape from his home life is revealed as the novel progresses. He finds himself in an outfit run be a sergeant and corporals who use sadistic methods to turn the boys into warriors. This is expected in any boot camp situation, but the way one soldier, Wolf, is dealt with appears to go way over the line. This incident affects Will more than any of the others and also affects Tristan, because he was jealous of Will's relationship with Wolf. The soldiers go on to France to fight the war along with the same men who trained them. Now they are living in trenches, risking their lives daily, and watching as young men they know well die.

The issue of homosexuality is introduced with a long section about a room in a boarding house. The prejudices of the time were also shown later as Tristan's problems became known, so this section could have been left out without hurting the book. It felt as if Boyne was trying to establish the theme for himself rather than the reader. But other than that early portion, the issue of Trisan's sexuality was handled brilliantly. The bigotry was made clear. The lines between friendship and love and between comfort and sexual attraction were blurred. The shame was there, sometimes subtle and sometimes not. And the novel's ending was powerful because of the careful development of the characters.

I believe the book was named The Absolutist because the definition of bravery is its main theme. There are many examples of both bravery and cowardice throughout the novel and different readers will come to different conclusions about them. Certainly fighting for one's country is one example of courage, but although this novel has the trenches of wartime France as one of its main settings, the most interesting examples of courage or lack of courage are in the subtle issues relating to principle and acceptance.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions

Even though the book was in good condition, as in it was marked or torn, I didn't know that it was such an old edition that the pages were yellowed. If I had known this I wouldn't have bought the paperback, but rather the hardcover because the latter's pages stay white for a much longer time.

This is a story whose main character is actually an anti-hero. Twenty-one years old, he, Tristan Sadler, takes a trip carrying a pack of letters written by Will Bancroft to his sister during the Great War (World War). He finds himself telling of the horror and brutality of the war and of his developing relationship to Will. His story reveals his love and suffering; and becomes a confession and self-discovery.
The author structures this book back and forth between 1919 and 1916, the final part in 1979 when he and the sister are in their eighties. The story is extremely sad and moving, mainly focused of love lost, lives lost, incredibly brutal behaviors and moments of hope and tenderness. Tristan’s perspective is segued because of his infatuated love; his choices reveal his inability to perceive others motivations. Heroes and betrayals, inexcusable brutality and indifference, blind love and insane cruelty are described vividly by the author. The book is powerful, and demands a careful reader in its jumps back and forth as well as its slowly revealing that the hero is no hero at all.

Haunting, moving a real gut clutching novel and sucks you in. Tristan’s story unfolds slowly–one step at a time–by moving between the present and the past, and this format makes The Absolutist a real page-turner. John Boyne writes beautifully, and I almost read it in one sitting–I did not want to put it down. Although its subject matter is very serious and at times heartbreaking, The Absolutist never becomes too heavy or depressing–Boyne does a great job of keeping the emotion in this book well-balanced. This is my first time reading anything by John Boyne, and I will definitely be reading more of his books in the future. I highly recommend The Absolutist to everyone who enjoys reading literary fiction.

John Boyne is already a highly regarded writer (perhaps his most famous story is that unforgettable THE BOY IN THE STRIPPED PAJAMAS that described war and its permutations as well as any novel written) and it should come as no surprise that once again he has come up with a story so profoundly moving and so elegantly written that it becomes an instant landmark. Boyne joins the ranks of writers who deal with love stories between men in the time of war and his novel could not be more timely.

The setting for this novel is during the time of and the time after the Great War, with the accompanying fractures and sounds and scars that accompanied that era. In September of 1919 the 20 year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft, the sister of Will, Tristan's closest comrade in battle. Tristan fought alongside Marian's brother during the Great War but in 1917, but Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector refusing any role at all in the campaign (and `absolutist') and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonor on the Bancroft family. The letters Tristan carries are not the real reason for Tristan's visit. He holds a secret deep in his soul, one that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. As they stroll through the streets of a city still coming to terms with the end of the war, he recalls his friendship with Will, from the training ground at Aldershot to the trenches of Northern France, and speaks of how the intensity of their friendship brought him from brief moments of happiness and self-discovery to long periods of despair and pain.

The manner in which Boyne unfolds this story, moving effortlessly back and forth between the war experience and the post war time, is steeped in atmosphere and in language that fearlessly describes the times and the thoughts and the incidents that build toward the rather surprising ending. Tristan is the son of a butcher, a handsome lad never quite accepted as he matures. In the early part of the book (after the war when Tristan is delivering the letters to Marion) Tristan sees himself as wasted physically, his once desirable body now masked by scars and loss of sensuousness. But at the same time he is sensitive to men he meets in the pubs or on the street - the first suggestion that this is a man we will discover has been in a same sex relationship with his beloved Will. It takes great sensitivity on the part of an author to gain the reader's attention and emotional involvement before the facts of the story - at times achingly real and strange - are evident. It is here and in many other areas, where Boyne excels. Writing of this sensitivity and simply verbal beauty is rare. Boyne is rapidly becoming one of the great writers of the century. Grady Harp, September 12

No, an absolutist is not a drinker with a preference for certain brand of vodka. "The Absolutist," as described in John Boyne's latest novel of the same name, is a conscientious objector who refuses to help the war effort in any form whatsoever (as opposed to those who just refuse to shoot the enemy but are willing to acts as medics, administrators or other non-lethal participants). The story of how eighteen year old Will Bancroft becomes the title character during the "Great War" (World War I) and what happens to him afterwards is one of the two narrative threads of the novel.

The other inextricably bound thread, which could be called "Absolution," is the story of Will's barracks mate and sometimes friend, Tristan Sadler who, after three years of recuperation and survivor's guilt has taken it as his responsibility to return to Will's sister Marian some letters she had written during the war.

More of the story I won't reveal because while "The Absolutist" is not a mystery genre-wise, it is a novel of secrets so expertly woven into the narrative by author John Boyne that it would be a great disservice to Mr. Boyne and potential readers to divulge too much is a review.

It is, however, a heck of a story with fully-fleshed, well-drawn characters who do not always act in the way you might expect. The writing is at once minimalist and labyrinthine, allowed time to breathe and create tension as it builds to an earth-shattering climax for the three main characters.

Along the way the author manages to deal with huge themes - the reality of fighting a war (especially in the filthy trenches of France) vs. the glamor of going off to fight, the place of women in war and in every day life, the horror of both surviving and not surviving, the nature of courage and cowardice, of self-loathing and self-acceptance, of what is and isn't worth fighting for and the differences between what women and men must do to survive difficult events. All of which make the book excellent for book discussion groups.

If I had any quibble at all with "The Absolutist" it is in the epilogue which occurs nearly 60 years after the events in the rest of the novel. Many readers will find it appropriate inasmuch as the author makes his final points on several of the major themes with which the book deals and some will just be pleased by the tying up of narrative's loose ends. For my personal taste, this epilogue put the novel into a genre which I despise. Which genre I cannot reveal without spoiling the end of the book for those reading this review.

A quick read, written with precision and skill, "The Absolutist" is challenging, absorbing and well recommended for anyone looking for thought provoking fiction.

This book is sometimes categorized as "gay" literature, and that is a fundamental part of the plot, but that's hardly the only focus of this very good look at a pair of World War I soldiers, and the tragedy that follows them and others.

Set 100 years ago, I think that much of this wartime account should still resonate today. Whether it's the camaraderie, or sometimes awful leadership, the PTSD upon return home, or the loss of those a soldier knew, it all fits into today as well. The final "absolutist" stand of the title makes a reader consider what's right and wrong, and what's worth drawing a line in the sand for, even when no one's on your side. But, I think it also asks why one should assume people should BE on one's side.

A few other reviews are critical about the realism of some of the scenes, and how plausible some of the controversies of the plot really are. But in the ghastly French trenches I think it's fair to say that many small units were essentially on their own. So while some of the worst excesses were probably very uncommon, I find it easy to believe they could have occurred as presented here. There were battles where 50,000 men died in an hour, so small unit leadership didn't have the luxury of stable chains of command, or any help from higher headquarters.

At heart, this is a personal story, and Boyne's first person narration worked very well. A good comparison would be my favorite book of all time - The Lords of Discipline: A Novel. "The Absolutist" is not that good, but it's in the game. Like Conroy's Will McLean in "Lords," Boyne gives the reader a very human and very tragic hero in Tristan Sadler, right to the bitter end. Sadler's friend and occasional lover, Will Bancroft, is also presented with realism and true motivations.

Many of the other characters are less developed, but the focus does need to remain on the stars. A villain - their sergeant - is a little over-the-top, but as I said, it's certainly plausible.

The epilogue does a powerful job of wrapping everything up. It has a very strong ending; while I might have gone a different direction, Boyne has the confidence to take it where he does.

The central 'gay' plot is obviously vital to the book - Sadler ends up in the Army because of estrangement from his family. But it's much more than that, and anyone who passes on the book because of some notion that it's marketed to a specific reader base is missing out. It's very well-done, and aside from the drama, the basic story is very relevant to the homecoming experience of a lot of soldiers today.

In the year 1916, Tristan Sadler volunteers for military service on behalf of Britain, fighting the Great War that will define the future of the world. A native Londoner, Tristan is 17 years old upon enlisting, a very tender age to be pressed into violent, close combat with rifle and bayonet. Men's souls are buried alive in the trenches of France. None really believe they will survive. Cities and towns across Europe have been demolished, deposed of armies of young men as families ponder meanings and attempt to mend damaged souls who do return. This is the price we pay for our protection and freedom: the young. We know it. But can we be sure it is worth it, even in the Great War? For some men and their families, the true price still stands unrecognized.

At the Aldershot military barracks, Tristan had been deemed "fit for battle" by his fierce, obsessively violent sergeant. Yet emotionally, he was little more a child facing the brutality and inescapability of war. He'd been forced into this position after his parents disowned him unjustly, without comprehending that, in signing up, he'd relinquished both body and soul to his own government, probably permanently. Stripped of individuality or philosophies that the military deems distasteful, Tristan becomes a consummate soldier, at least publicly --- steadfast, patriotic, athletic, masculine, willing to kill when asked to, and seeming to relish in it. But once thrown into the mix of daily battle, he becomes greatly disillusioned.

Somehow Tristan's war experiences do stand out more than others simply because he's known a different brand of suffering, one that is more personal and carries the mark of understanding --- a belief in something good, something bigger than one person, the ability to love. The discovery of a friend who truly respects his fellow man helps Tristan understand (eventually) that there are other philosophies worth considering, that violence is not the only answer, that men exist who are simply blessed with more compassion, decency, thoughtfulness and integrity. Not unexpectedly, these are the same souls who wonder what they're doing out there. Many decide not to fight at all, although Tristan is not one of them.

For controversial philosophies, young soldiers were branded cowards in the first World War and called "feather men," the first "feather man" in Tristan's regiment being a religious fellow named Arthur Wolf --- a soldier not much older than him but more than willing to face everyday persecution. Wolf's repeated formal petitions for release from military service are denied as he is condemned by his regiment, with only a few men considering his reasons for protest logically (and only secretly in the beginning, for fear of retribution). Wolf is accused by his seargent of standing by as good men die, of being a quitter and runaway, a faithless traitor to his country and regiment. But ironically, Wolf never does run away, presents himself with fortitude, and bravely faces the combined might and threat of the British military.

For standing up for what he believes in, Wolf will pay a heavy price, and following his death, the charge is taken up by Will Bancroft, one of Wolf's bunkmates and Tristan's closest friend. Will's unique insights and perspectives on life give him good reasons to defend Wolf (and others), even in death. Knowing full well that he will be labeled a "feather man" in turn and probably suffer a similar fate, Will "fights the good fight" as the war drags on. Tristan's part in this tale is lovely, achingly sad, tender, beautiful and quite haunting. This is an unforgettable, timeless love story and a very unique war story.

In a sense, THE ABSOLUTIST is about a philosophical revolution not unlike that of the '60s, full of progressive ideas but also sad ironies that still make sense today (perhaps more than ever.) This is great modern literature with fantastic artistic appeal and superb writing, a story of duty, honor, love, high passion and integrity. Of course, John Boyne is an incredible, award-winning, bestselling author of considerable fame and talent. Anyone with an interest in great fiction, riveting war stories, historical fiction or modern literature will love THE ABSOLUTIST --- one of my absolute favorite books of the year.

Reviewed by Melanie Smith

One can survive a loveless upbringing, but the cost of parental cruelty is dear. The story told of World War I trench conditions is moving; the patchwork narrative by Tristan of his major life events is measured beautifully like a masterful symphony. It was brilliantly conveyed that Tristan had suffered incalculable pain at the hands of his butcher father. His recollections are revealed at crucial moments during the telling of his story. The young soldier is preparing himself for death in the trenches after the soldier next to him dies from a head hit, and an unwelcome memory of being slapped in the face by his father in a very public place erupts: "and then I hear the voice of the woman who remonstrated with my father for hitting me, five years ago on the night of the coronation. 'The lad's done nothing wrong,' she said. 'You should learn to show a little kindness towards the boy.'" Tristan suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome before he ever signed up to serve. The major people who populated his life continued the theme of rejection or abuse in varying and more subtle ways, but he did survive. I am enriched by the reading of this book and deeply moved. Themes of love vs hate, courage vs cowardice, loyalty vs betrayal, endurance of the human spirit vs societal pressures - all there. A book you will want to own.

Who is more courageous: the man who dives over the trench line and enters no-man's land, but becomes deadened to the carnage around him, or the man who refuses to take up arms against other human beings to the extent that he will not even aid his fellow soldiers as stretcher-bearer, courier, or other pacifistic duties (but then faces the consequences of this stance)?

That is one form of courage. And that is only one theme of "The Absolutist." In contrast to courage, fear rides rampant. The fear of death, the fear of others' discovery of one's true nature and their reactions to that discovery. The fear of losing one's humanity in the ceaseless inhumanity of trench warfare. The fear of being alone.

To say that this book is about two young soldiers in World War I who form an uneasy bond and where that bond eventually leads them, is a gross simplification. It's a very complicated book whose "secret" and "eventual outcome" are pretty predictable, but the primary attraction is the character development and a glimpse of how very difficult (and tragic) being true to one's inner self can be.

Secrets can only be withheld for so long until it has to be released. For Tristan Sadler, the ravages of war and the memories that he carried for over sixty years could no longer be tucked away within his heart. John Boyne writes a poignant story of Tristan's experience during the most pivotal events of the twentieth century, the Great War. The title of the book The Absolutist is a metaphor of the men that fought one of the most traumatic moments to ever affect the world in such a grand scale. The central storyline is told in flashbacks and focuses on the 1916 in Aldershot and France, and then intersperses to Norwich, Connecticut in 1919 during the post-war period. It is in Norwich where Tristan begins his journey to reconcile with his conscience of the events that took place in Aldershot between the men in his company, especially with his friend Will Bancroft.

The Absolutist may appear to be a subtle version of Quiet on the Western Front because of each novel's central theme involving an individual's challenge to confront moral authority during times of war. Main characters Tristan and Will represent this dilemma in the novel and as one reads of their experience on the battlefront and what each men as with thousands of men had in common, 19 year old men on the brink of manhood but not all were mature enough to know who they were. But protagonist Tristan and the personal demons that he would inherit during and haunt him for the rest of his life pitted with his conscience and the one night that changed his and Will's life forever. The men were fighting in one war but under two different personal fronts, duty and honor and pacifism, and in between an undercurrent of unspoken and ambiguous tones that eventually became unleashed that involved gender issues. Boyne shows how complex Tristan and Will's friendship became as the war they fought waged and their personal outbursts turned to misconceptions of how they viewed each other as well as denial and lies. But by the end of the novel, there will be casualties of war and open wounds.

The novel has intense moments that may leave the reader wanting to read more after each chapter. Although it may start as a typical historic novel, there are intricacies throughout the story because of how Boyne switches in between the years of 1916 and 1919. However, as one focuses on the main characters of Tristan and Will, this may be indeed a book worth reading again after the last chapter has been completed and unanswered questions will arise.

The narrator of The Absolutist tells a story of rejections--one after another--leading up to, presumably, the publication of his first novel. We learn by inference early on and directly near the end of the novel that the narrator is a successful novelist--winner of prestigious prizes--and we realize we have been reading a reconstruction of his early years--in particular, his life from the age of 16 through about 25. Most readers will infer early in the narrative that the narrator is a homosexual man, coming to know himself and to recognize how very difficult his life can be in the era during which he has grown up--that is, the period leading up to and including the "Great War" of 1914-1919. Tristan Sadler (narrator's name) is rejected by his school, by his parents (especially his father), by the young man he first loves, and another, in various ways, and he risks outright rejection by his society (including possible prosecution and imprisonment), for being the man he was born to be.

Sadler serves in the British army in the trenches of France during the war, and the novel does a fair job of portraying the horror and brutality of that experience, as well as reminding us of the senseless waste of human life that was characteristic of that particular war. All wars are wasteful in that way, but the utter confusion created by the persistence of "ideals" (of military valor, of patriotism, of masculine honor) that were entirely irrelevant to the kind of conflict created in that war is especially horrifying. That has been conveyed powerfully in the great poetry of that war (Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, and others) and by both novels and memoirs of the period. John Boyne clearly derives some of the specifics of his portrayal from those predecessors, and that is appropriate.

What we look for in a novel of this kind--a novel about the efforts of an "other," an outsider in a society that mistreats outsiders when they are revealed to the general run of insiders--is a new depth of understanding of both the rejectors (is it just blind bigotry, stupid hatred, or an understandable fear that drives them to torment and even destroy the others), as well as insight into the feelings of the outsider. We get some of both from Boyne's novel, though there are oddly awkward presentations--scenes that seem to go on too long, with too much vacillation in the characters of all kinds.

The main "line" of the narrative involves a journey by Tristan Sadler to Norwich, in 1925, several years after the end of the war, so that he may return a packet of letters to the sister (who wrote them) of one of his comrades who died in France. The chapters portraying this journey and his meeting with the sister are interspersed with chapters about Tristan's youth, army training at Aldershot, and experiences in the trenches. Boyne has a very good eye and ear for class differences, though his dialogue tends to be mostly straightforward prose with little attention to local dialects, although there is a discussion between Sadler and another soldier about the latter's ability to identify people's place of origin merely by listening to them speak. This serves to alert the reader to the odd sameness of the speech patterns portrayed in conversations.

It cannot be said that this novel captures the horror or scope of the war, nor does it really convey the special character of Sadler's experiences as a homosexual man caught in a world that hates his kind and will move to destroy him if he is not cautious. Some passages capture the conflicted attraction and desire, the repressed love, that he feels in encounters with men whom he finds beautiful, and there are ironic encounters with women who have been attracted to him, only to be quietly rebuffed. But the range of a homosexual's experience, even of a man who is as willful in his repression of his desires as is Tristan Sadler, seems not to have been captured, especially in the tepidly narrated scenes of lovemaking that occur in the novel. It is an engaging read, but it falls somehow well short of being the kind of novel that one would consider a permanent treasure.

This brilliant, touching, moving, disturbing book is one of the most depressing I've ever read. It's a fascinating portrait of a man who simply cannot live with his own demons. To be sure, it takes place primarily in an era where those demons were not at all accepted. I'm speaking of the closet homosexual, of course. A boy who develops a crush on his best buddy is skating on thin ice to begin with. When he can't take it anymore and has to move in for the clutch (and the kiss), of course the ice breaks and unless the other guy is amenable to such affection, he's certainly going to back away, leaving our hero to flounder in the ice-cold depths of his own emotions, if you'll forgive the purple prose. Add a few years and place our hero in a military situation, give him another "crush," and sparks are bound to fly. Once again, his affections are rejected, this time by someone who perhaps was marginally more accepting; certainly in need of the attention and the release. But it ain't gonna work out in the end, is it? There are no happy endings.

The book jumps back and forth among several time periods: when our narrator is a boy, when he's in the army (hardly more than a boy even then), several years later when he gets together with the older sister of the army buddy he loved and lost, and finally in the present, some sixty years on, when our narrator has apparently led a productive if repressed life as a writer. His reason for contacting the sister is twofold: to return some letters she had written to her brother during the war, and to open his heart and confess something. One gathers he did tell her SOMETHING, though we're left in doubt of what: his love for her brother, the physical manifestations of that love, or the part he played in his death. It's never really spelled out; perhaps it doesn't matter. In the end, in a strange wrap-up chapter that's either a tour-de-force or a copout, when our narrator is in his 80s, he ends it. The book we've just finished reading has been his soul-bearing autobiographical novel, filling in the blanks that his 60-odd years of writing have left unspoken. Then he means to add a final FINIS, after which all subsequent analysis of his life and his work will be posthumous.

The author of this book, certainly not old enough to have experienced these things first-hand (or at least not in the time period he has chosen), must have done some soul-searching in preparation for the writing, if not his own soul, then certainly that of someone who had a lot to say on the subject. This couldn't have been a complete fabrication. I will certainly seek out other books he has written. This one held me fascinated right to the end.

This story is about Tristan Sadler, a young veteran of World War 1 who is dealing with intense shame and guilt, a consequence of his involvement in the war. Told in the first person narrative by the main character, Tristan recounts how he and his best friend, Will Bancroft, faced an intense personal dilemma, some emotions had to kept secret and never displayed or shared with others. It took a huge amount of courage to fight their internal feelings and the war they were waging on the battle field that faced them.

The story opens in September 1919 with twenty one year old Tristan Sadler on a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to Marian, Will Bancroft's sister. The story unfolds slowly and moves between the war and his visit with Marian. She slowly finds out the truth about her brother and what really happened to him. Tristan and Will had meet during basic training at Aldershot and they soon developed a close relationship that lasted till they served in the trenches of Picardy where Will was court-martialed for cowardice and executed on the battlefield in 1916.

Mr. Boyne prose concentrates on emotions throughout this wartime story which depicts primarily the relationship between the two soldiers. The brutal and very descriptive war scenes in general are told in the present tense and the narrative shifts to the past tense when Tristan reveals his true feelings to Marian.

This skillfully crafted and very thought provoking story builds tension and emotions till its bitter conclusion and the result is a very moving story that looks at war from a different perspective

"...it's one step beyond conscientiously objecting...at the far end of the spectrum...won't do anything at all to further the war effort...won't fight, won't help those who are fighting, won't work in a hospital or come to the aid of the wounded...won't do anything at all, really, except sit on his hands and complain that the whole thing's a sham." This is at the crux of John Boyne's beautiful and sad story, the latest from this wonderful man and writer who previously had moved this reader with "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (also an extraordinarily moving film). War is hell...in this instance WW I...and the time we spend with Tristan and Will, these two very young men who meet in preparation for their involvement in the war, then their time in battle in France, Tristan feeling for Will this love that "dares not speak its name," will leave the reader pondering the waste of lives ended much too soon, of lives lived in constant recall of the lamented past. The horror of war can bring out the best and worst in those called to fight. You'll be hard put to pass any judgment on either of the story's main characters. Instead you'll be pulled into a story that plays out in such a way that the reader can't do anything but read through to the end, some three hundred pages later, that's how much we become involved in what is to be the fate of these two young men. As in any review of a book, too much can be said; suffice it to say that the time you spend with John Boyne's remarkable story will be time very well and satisfyingly spent. Both Tristan and Will...even Will's sister Marian...will remain with you long after the reader closes the book.

I was so grateful I chose to read THE ABSOLUTIST. I knew nothing of the author John Boyne and now after reading this he will be at the top of the list of my favorite authors. This novel is not pretty or simple. It tackles so much more than that. It is a novel that deals with realism within its characters, its plot, its environment and its overall message. It can at times be a troubling read but due to the masterful hand of author Boyne the reader feels safe to read along. These characters are real and vivid and Boyne is a true literary artist. He writes with intelligence, compassion and it must be repeated - realism. This is a gay story and yet it is not for it is a story about people, whomever and whatever they may be. It takes place in a troubling period of time in history - World War I. There is jealousy, passion and every emotion possible here. The story is also graphic in its sexual nature but also in its human nature. The novel works for it is ultimately based on truth, plots twists make sense and are not manipulative. The story is sad and often heartwrenching but the end result is a journey the reader is better for having taken. It is rare today to find writers who still through the magic of words can take readers on an intended journey where the end result will be different for each reader. This novel is a true literary achievement and one I heavily recommend.

This is an amazing novel; it is also extremely sad. The sadness comes not only from events concerning the characters but also from the realization that what we revere as civilization is completely warped. At the end of WWI, Tristan Sadler, the main character in the novel, seeks out his friend Will's sister in order to return a packet of letters. The story develops innocently enough, but, gradually, we become aware that Tristan's experiences during the war were anything but innocent. Through the eyes of Tristan and others, we are confronted not only with the flaws and the hypocrisy of our present-day civilization but also with contemporary attitudes towards war, killing, conscientious objectors and, not least, homosexuality. Slowly Tristan becomes aware of the injustice and the hypocrisy that flourished during the war, and he also becomes aware of the part he played through either fear or ignorance or a combination of both. Very well written, "The Absolutist" is not only an anti-war novel but also a 'wake-up' call to those who still hold fast to narrow-minded attitudes prevalent within our society.

Literary examination of the trenches and expectations of young men in England during WWI. Being gay and bring a conscientious objector were both pretty much s death sentence in this wartime era. Frame story has protagonist postwar returning letters his lover's sister had sent to her brother. Twists of their relationship and how the brother died are revealed with a big surprise. Followed by an unnecessary epilogue 60 years after. Enjoyable and heartfelt experience reading about the strict society synonymous with Downton Abbey.