The Absolutist - John Boyne

The Absolutist - John Boyne (2011)

John Boyne is the author of the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, that was turned into a movie recently.  He is a good author, I enjoy the flow of his books and I always like a book I can get somewhat lost in without thinking too much.  When I  have to think too much, I end up feeling dragged through a story and sometimes resent the time spent struggling.

So, in this adult story we learn about Tristan and Will who train together at Aldershot before the first world war.  After the war Tristan then returns to Wills home town to take Wills sister Marian, the letters she wrote to her brother.  Through the two stories we learn about what happens to the two friends in the midst of relentless fighting.

It was a 3/5 for me, as it felt a bit like a story that I had heard before, although told with a new voice, and more eloquent than most.