The Absolutist

1919. Young Tristan travels into the English countryside to deliver a bundle of letters from Will, with whom he fought in the First World War. But the letters are only an excuse for this trip. He is weighed down by a secret he has carried in his soul for a long time. As he sinks into memories of a senseless and cruel war, of his friendship with Will, and of how that friendship made him happy and unhappy at the same time, Tristan tries to understand who Will really was—and who he himself is: a traitor, a hero, or a victim. Feelings of guilt and shame hover in the background of this novel like a shadow. John Boyne leads the reader through the circles of his story, showing that many things we feel ashamed of don’t deserve it—and that actions we sometimes take pride in often are, in truth, the real disgrace.