Description
Book Synopsis: AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A riveting account of women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War, from the renowned winner of the National Book Award.
You have no idea what it was like. For us. The women, I mean. The wives.
American women—American wives—have been mostly minor characters in the literature of the Vietnam War, but in Absolution they take center stage. Tricia is a shy newlywed, married to a rising attorney on loan to navy intelligence. Charlene is a practiced corporate spouse and mother of three, a beauty and a bully. In Saigon in 1963, the two women form a wary alliance as they balance the era’s mandate to be “helpmeets” to their ambitious husbands with their own inchoate impulse to “do good” for the people of Vietnam.
Sixty years later, Charlene’s daughter, spurred by an encounter with an aging Vietnam vet, reaches out to Tricia. Together, they look back at their time in Saigon, taking wry account of that pivotal year and of Charlene’s altruistic machinations, and discovering how their own lives as women on the periphery—of politics, of history, of war, of their husbands’ convictions—have been shaped and burdened by the same sort of unintended consequences that followed America’s tragic interference in Southeast Asia.
A virtuosic new novel from Alice McDermott, one of our most observant, most affecting writers, about folly and grace, obligation, sacrifice, and, finally, the quest for absolution in a broken world.
Details
Discover the captivating world of Absolution, an instant New York Times bestseller that takes you on a riveting journey into the lives of women on the margins of the Vietnam War. In this acclaimed novel by National Book Award winner, Alice McDermott, American women finally take center stage. Tricia, a shy newlywed, and Charlene, a practiced corporate spouse and mother of three, form a wary alliance in 1963 Saigon. As they navigate the era's expectations for wives while grappling with their own desire to make a difference in Vietnam, they uncover the true extent of sacrifice and the consequences of America's tragic intervention in Southeast Asia.
Fast forward sixty years, Charlene's daughter is prompted to contact Tricia after a fateful encounter with a war veteran. Together, they delve into their time in Saigon, reflecting on that pivotal year and Charlene's selfless actions. As they explore their roles as women on the periphery of history, politics, and their husbands' convictions, they unveil how their lives have been shaped and burdened by unintended consequences.
Prepare to be entranced by McDermott's masterful storytelling as she weaves a tale of folly and grace, obligation and sacrifice, and the ultimate quest for absolution in a shattered world. Don't miss out on this virtuosic novel that illuminates the untold stories of women during the Vietnam War.
Find out what it truly means to seek absolution and immerse yourself in the pages of Absolution. Purchase now to embark on an unforgettable literary journey.
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