Books like The absolutist by John Boyne
Tristan Sadler, a young veteran of the Great War, rides a train from London to Norwich in September 1919 to deliver letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, a friend he met at Aldershot and fought with in northern France. \n\nThe trip is driven by more than paperwork; Tristan finally confronts the secret he has kept since the trench battles and shares the harrowing details of the war’s brutality. Their friendship, born on the training grounds and tested in the war, brought him both joy and deep turmoil. Tristan’s confession reveals the intense, complex bond between them—an intimacy that challenged conventional norms of the time. \n\nThe Absolutist traces both the personal and historical trauma of World War I, exploring how guilt, loyalty, and love can shape a soldier’s post‑war identity.
First publish date: 2011
Genre: War & Military Fiction/World War I Fiction
Authors: John Boyne
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