Normally, we picture the First World War to be gory, unsanitary, and full of physical pain, but Boyne's novel does things differently. It instead brings out the emotional trauma suffered by soldiers in the trenches. It has its share of unjust brutality, but I loved this book because we could see how being a soldier affected the mental wellbeing of Tristan, the protagonist, in how he changed as the plot progressed. We can relate to his feelings, and what he does throughout the book during the conflict, which makes his secret (revealed towards the end) all the more shocking, as we can actually see ourselves doing the same thing. It makes you question whether we are too quick to judge soldiers.

Courage is a persistent theme as well. Will is immediately labelled as being a coward as soon as he objects to fighting, but as an outside opinion, we can see just how unfair this is. Objection to killing in a war zone is considered the worst action possible, but what other soldiers do (including Tristan) is acceptable. How horrific the circumstances must have been, for mercy to be cowardly and ending others' lives to be heroic.

However, what impacted me the most was the theme of homophobia. The amount of fear suffered by the novel's LGBT character is so painstaking that you wish you could go back in time yourself and change the situation. There is love involved, and yet because of both the society's views on sexuality and the war's mental challenges, The Absolutist is tragic right to its very core.

Shocking and saddening, Boyne's novel brings out a painful side of the First World War, normally overshadowed by common views of blood and poppies – relationships. The conflict here is in the trenches, while the risk of being killed in actual combat, while being present throughout, takes a back seat.

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