Reviewed: The Absolutist by John Boyne

Right, so I was actually pretty dubious about this book when I picked it up in Tesco. One: I hate standalone novels, I'm more of a series/saga/trilogy girl. And two: I'll be honest and say that I don't read many books outside of the YA section. But... I loved Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, I have an almost unhealthy obsession with World War I and the main characters' names were Tristan (reminding me of the knights of the round table) and Will (reminding me, of course, of Will Herondale), so I just couldn't resist.

Anyway. So, I bought it, I brought it home. I'm supposed to be reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, but this other book was just sitting there, on my bed, being all World I and... I couldn't help myself. I picked it up, started to read.

Now, I think that the first line in a book has got to be the most important one and this one was perfect:

"Seated opposite me in the railway carriage, the elderly lady in the fox-fur shawl was recalling some of the murders she had committed over the years."

Brilliant. You just have to read more after a line like that one, don't you? Well, I do and this is my review, so yes, you do.

Now, after that, we're introduced to Tristan Sadler, a young London man who fought in the trenches during the Great War. It's 1919 and he's travelling to Norwich to visit Marian Bancroft, the sister of a fellow soldier and friend, Will, who in 1917 was shot for cowardice, after laying down his arms and declaring himself a conscientious objector.

Marian - an opinionated, headstrong young woman - loved her brother. She knows he was not a coward. She wants to know what happened in his last few days. She wants to know what snapped him, what caused him to do what he did.

Tristan - the gentle, quiet bookworm type - also loved Will, also knows he was not a coward, but Tristan has a secret - well, several, really, but one main one. This is the secret that eats away at him inside, causes him to despise himself and is the reason behind the sporadic tremor in the index finger of his right hand. This secret is something that he has kept buried deep for the last two years, but now, in Norwich, with Marian, he will eventually find the courage to unburden himself.

The story switches between Tristan and Marian in 1919, and Tristan and Will from 1916 to 1917, while they train and fight alongside each other. We follow them from Aldershot in England to The Somme, France and the nightmare of life in the trenches, as their remarkable story unfolds, leading right up to that final moment that literally made me gasp out loud.

I mentioned up there my hang-up about standalone novels. This is because I have to get to know the characters, learn to love them and care about what happens to them. Boyne did that within the first few pages of this book. Tristan is a deeply flawed character and there are moments when you're asking yourself if he's even a good person at all. Will is the same - Will is worse. I found myself hating him at times, but in the end, they are still beautiful and complex characters, who work so brilliantly together.

Now, I'm not going to lie. I was depressed for, like, two days after reading this book, but good God, it's worth it, guys. Wonderful, heart-wrenching, devastating (and no, I did not copy them off the front of the book). This is one to read.

Ratings:

First Line: 4/5.

Characters: 5/5.

Dialogue: 3/5.

Romance: 2/5.

Writing Style: 4/5.

Twists & Turns: 3/5.

Gasp-Factor: 4/5.

Climax: 5/5.

Last Line: 4/5.

Bonus Points? Yes. Bonus pointí for the fact that the author is Irish and for Boyne's daring to be different (at least, I think it's pretty different...). An extra 3/5 is in order, methinks.

The Ominous Verdict

74%

Well done, Mr. Boyne. Next on my reading list is... well, it's pretty uncertain. I'll be back with you on that one.

Over an' Out ;)