The Absolutist by John Boyne

Monday, May 8, 2023--San Antonio

The Absolutist by John Boyne is a very well written novel set during WWI that addresses questions such as the following:  What is the difference between a conscientious objector and an absolutist?  (The latter is a person who not only refuses to fight, but also refuses to do any work that would support the war effort.)  Do soldiers get away with bad actions?  (Bullying others and even killing others within their own unit?)  Does the military leadership truly live up to its high principles in wartime?  (Can an officer refuse to do anything about a soldier who has killed a member of the enemy forces who was under arrest rather than an active combatant at the time?  Should an officer give punishment assignments to conscientious objectors which are more likely to get them killed than the assignments of cooperating combatants?)  Can a person declare that he is living his life based on high principles while overlooking the negative affects of his decisions on others?  How can a bisexual man initiate a sexual interaction, especially more than once, while not being able to admit that he is anything but straight?  Are gay relationships destined to be doomed when one of persons is bisexual and the other is strictly homosexual?  Etc.  It's a story that had a similar emotional affect on me as Atonement did when I read it may years ago, and like the latter, I imagine I will find myself remembering and thinking about this book for many years.  I gave the book 5 stars out of 5.