#18 [2024/CBR16] Absolution by Alice McDermott

Absolution (2023) by Alice McDermott was one of the books I picked out from NPR's Favorite Books last year. I saw that it was about American women in Vietnam at the beginning of the Vietnam War, and figured it might be interesting. My father fought in Vietnam, but I know very little about it. The war in Vietnam felt like one of those subjects we practically skipped over at the end of U.S. History in high school, and my father rarely talked about it.

The beginning of this book sucked me in--with the main character feeling awkward and out of place at a party with her husband in Vietnam. As a dedicated introvert who is about to be dragged to my husband's work party tomorrow evening, I can definitely relate. Tricia is a shy newlywed married to a rising attorney and engineer, who is working for the armed services in Vietnam. 

Tricia first meets Charlene at this party. Charlene is a busy and powerful (in her sphere) mother of three. Charlene can be pushy and oblivious, but does try to do good with what she has. The book takes place in Saigan in 1963, and generally follows Tricia throughout her time in Vietnam. The American women and families all live in nice houses, with high fences around them, and waited on by Vietnamese servants.

This book is difficult for me to rate. At times, I couldn't stop reading. Yet at other times, the book felt uneven and I wondered where it was headed. I found the interactions between the characters to be the most interesting part of the book. Tricia and her husband seemed to love each other, but she was very much a stereotypical 1950's housewife. She was expected to present herself as his helpmate and had no say, or even knowledge, of much of what her husband was doing.

Charlene was also a very interesting character--annoying in how she pushed everyone around to get her way--but also impressive that she was able to push people around to get her way. On the one hand, Charlene worked hard at helping the Vietnamese women and children around her, but she also trampled over their thoughts and wishes in her eagerness to do what she thought was right. Is trying to do something good and maybe doing bad better than turning a blind eye to people's distress? Maybe?

After what felt like a bit of a wandering narrative, Absolution ends with something of a shocking twist that was certainly memorable and disturbing. Even though I wasn't completely drawn into this novel, I do think it would make a compelling Book Club choice. I can imagine a spirited discussion centered on the various choices characters make.