ABSOLUTION

This was a busy year for me from a work and travel standpoint, so I was not able to read as much as I would have linked to, However, I did manage to fit in a few books. The best book I read in 2023 was "Absolution" by Alice McDermott. 

The novel is set in Saigon in 1963 and centers around the lives of several wives of American businessmen - i.e., military operatives - in Vietnam. In so many ways, the book captures how our our actions, which may be well-intentioned, can have untoward consequences. However, the book asks us to approach these actions with grace, rather than with a critical, unflattering, retrospective point of view. This is not to forgive the characters, but rather to attempt to understand them and their humanity, offering them absolution.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!