Brian Plunkett reviewed Absolution by Alice McDermott
Absolution - 4.5 Stars
4 stars
Vivid, well-written, and excellent overall, although I thought Part II (from Rainey's perspective) was not as good as the rest of the book; for one thing, some of its depictions seemed too stereotypical. After finishing the book, I read articles by several reviewers, and most agreed that Part II was out of place or just less compelling, but ... I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what McDermott was trying to do with it.
But, anyway, the Saigon parts are fascinating, with the trip to the leprosarium being the highlight of the story (the NPR reviewer referred to this as a Heart-of-Darkness-like journey for Patricia). The final part of the book, showing some significant choices made by both Patricia and Ly, was powerful.