But as the story unfolds and alternates between Tristan’s stay at Norwich and his military training at Aldershot, we soon begin to understand that Tristan fears the inevitable confession he’d have to make about his complicated relationship with Will and the events that preceded Will’s demise more than anything else. The task of delivering the letters seem to trouble him immensely and it’s easy to assume at first that it’s all because he would have to recall every atrocity he had to face while serving in the British army. Although he seems well-adapted, it’s obvious that he still struggles to leave the horrors of the war behind. He’s survived the Great War and he’s now working as an assistant to a publisher in London. When we meet Tristan Sadler for the first time, he’s on a train to Norwich where he wants to deliver some letters to one of his former comrades’ sister. Thoughtful and complex, this tale is sure to leave a strong impression on its readers. It’s a powerful discussion on the fine line between courage and cowardice, and how blurred it can get during war. The Absolutist is a story of love, war, bravery, shame, and learning to live with your past mistakes. 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. 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. The intensity of their bond brought Tristan happiness and self-discovery as well as confusion and unbearable pain. 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. He can no longer keep a secret and has finally found the courage to unburden himself of it.

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.īut the letters are not the real reason for Tristan’s visit.

The absolutist lib e john boyne