In the Absence of Men (Unabridged)
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4.1 • 14 Ratings
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me comes the tale of an affair between an aristocratic teenager and a soldier, as they discover the possibilities and perils of first love.
Summer, 1916. With German Zeppelins on the skyline, the men of Paris are off at war. For Vincent, sixteen and still too young to fight, this moment of dread is also a moment of possibility. An electrifying encounter with Marcel, an enigmatic middle-aged writer, draws Vincent’s desires out into the light. As he’s taken under Marcel’s wing, Vincent begins a dangerous affair with Arthur, the son of his governess and a young soldier on leave. Together, they share a secret that everyone seems to know and yet everyone remains silent about.
In this stunning portrait of young love, Philippe Besson depicts a young man who plays by his own rules and is not afraid of who he is. In the afternoons, Vincent is mentored by Marcel, the great novelist, in the city’s opulent cafés as they draw the judgment of society. And at night, he hides Arthur in his bedroom as the two risk everything to be together. Their affair initiates them into a world of pleasure and shields them from the encroaching war. During this magical week away from the trenches, Vincent shelters Arthur with happiness, reassuring him, “Nothing will happen to you.”
Tender and harrowing, In the Absence of Men captures how exhilarating and heart-crushing it is to fall in love for the first time. Besson’s award-winning novel “beautifully captures the romance and amorality of gilded youth” (The Independent).
Customer Reviews
A huge disappointment
After thoroughly enjoying “The Summer Boy“ and “Lie With Me” I was so anxious to start this book. If this was a book of poems it would get 10 stars. It’s written so lush and beautiful. Every chapter is a work of art. However as you’re trying to tie the story together you find that it’s more self-indulgent than impactful. The story centers around a 16-year-old boy. When I was 16 I was consider considered to be mature for my age and enlightened. I have worked with teenagers and I have found others to be so. The boy in this book is impossible. He has a relationship with a 45-year-old man and also a 21-year-old young man. In most chapters he schools them like he could be their father. It’s one thing to be insightful and smart and intellectual but this 16 year-old boy has the wisdom and the patience of a saint. It is just not realistic. It’s difficult to say but I could not wait for this book to end. I think if the writer had revisited this story and found the innocence in a 16-year-old boy who is having first time experiences that would last him a lifetime I think he could’ve shaped a more realistic story that was more palpable to read.