The Absolutist vs An Act Of Love

First round, and first contestants. We have The Absolutist by John Boyne versus An Act Of Love by Alan Gibbons. The judge for this round was Ms Knight.

The story begins in 1919 as Tristan Sadler travels to Norfolk to meet up with the sister of a dead comrade and the narrative moves back and forth between their meeting and Tristan's account of his war experiences.

Boyne describes in a graphic and visceral way the horrors of trench life, but ultimately this is a book about repressed sexuality, unrequited love, and the true nature of bravery and cowardice.

This is not a difficult book to read as Boyne has a straightforward and readerly style. The plot, though compelling, did not engage me on an emotional level. Strangely, since I have finished this novel, I find the story has stayed with me, and I am beginning to see layers and ambiguities in the plot which I was not aware of while I was reading.

This is the story of Chris and Imram, inseparable childhood friends, so committed to each other that they become sworn blood brothers. As political tensions eventually force them apart, Chris joins the Army and is sent to Afghanistan, and Imram becomes involved with a group of Muslim jihadists who attempt to radicalise him.

Set against a background of terrorism both local and international, Alan Gibbons' story explores the nature of patriotism and fundamentalism. The author offers us insights into why his characters behave the way that they do and enables the reader to see events from a new perspective. This novel demonstrates that there is no such thing as a random act of terror, but violence breeds violence and whether it occurs in New York, Afghanistan or on the streets of Britain, each of us cannot fail but be involved in some way. I was impressed by the non judgmental and even handed way that Gibbons manages to achieve this.

This is a compelling novel which has at its heart the relationship between Imram and Chris and what it means to be a loyal and true friend.



My winner is An Act Of Love which will be up against the winner of next pair of battling books. More tomorrow.