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∘ Absolution Overview
∘ Absolution Summary
∘ Absolution Themes
∘ Absolution Characters
∘ My opinion about Absolution by Alice McDermott
Absolution Overview
The ninth book written by American novelist Alice McDermott, a National Book Award winner, is titled Absolution. Through the eyes of the main character Tricia, Absolution delves into the inner lives of American military wives during the Vietnam War. While reading over Tricia’s memories of Saigon, McDermott muses on the intricacies of moral obligation, the lingering effects of Vietnam’s colonial past, and the sacrifices that all people have to make in their lifetimes.
Absolution Summary
Patricia “Tricia” Kelly, an elderly widow, corresponds with Rainey, a middle-aged woman who seems to be the daughter of her deceased friend Charlene. She is writing in response to a previous letter that Rainey wrote her, requesting further details regarding her time spent in Saigon and a man by the name of Dominic “Dom” Kelly. Tricia remembers her experience in Saigon as a young military wife. Tricia, at 23 years old, and her husband Peter, a CIA civilian advisor, relocated to Saigon in 1963. Ngo Dinh Diem’s autocratic, pro-Catholic administration over Southern Vietnam is in effect at the time.
In Saigon, military spouses are obliged to follow a rigid set of social norms. Tricia’s introverted nature makes it difficult for her to follow these strict social norms. She talks about how she met a young Rainey at a cocktail party for the first time. Showing Tricia her Barbie doll and her extensive wardrobe of doll outfits, Rainey does so with pride. Soon later, Tricia runs across another corporate wife, Charlene, the blustery mother of Rainey. Charlene skillfully incorporates Tricia into her most recent humanitarian endeavor. Her Vietnamese seamstress Lily is hired by her to produce Barbie-sized ao dais, a traditional Vietnamese garment, which she then starts selling personalized “Saigon Barbies” at a premium markup. She donates little baskets filled with candy and toys to patients at the nearby children’s hospital using the money she makes from sales.
Tricia and Charlene become close friends, and Tricia learns about Charlene’s personal life. The constraints of being a woman in the 1960s irritate Charlene. She turns to the black market to raise money for her humanitarian endeavors because she feels she must assist the less fortunate. Tricia meets Charlene at the hospital, where she gives apparent napalm burns to youngsters’ comfort. As Charlene’s ambitions get bigger, she gets assistance from Dominic “Dom” Carey, a young GI with empathy who helps her get past checkpoints and curfews. Tricia, Lily, and Charlene go to a leprosarium outside of the city with Dom’s assistance, measuring the female patients to make a dais specifically for them. Lily is overjoyed to see her cousin, who is being held in quarantine in the leprosarium.
In a separate storyline, Tricia and Peter’s plans to become parents are derailed by multiple miscarriages. Tricia becomes more and more anxious about the risky circumstances Charlene places her in as the news from Vietnam is laced with sporadic acts of violence. Charlene keeps increasing the scope of her charitable endeavors. She starts setting up unofficial private adoptions between American couples and Vietnamese moms, making sure the mothers receive compensation for their babies. Overwhelmed, Tricia completely withdraws from Charlene’s altruistic endeavors. Without Tricia, Charlene and Lily keep going to the leprosarium. During their third visit, Lily decides to move in with her cousin instead of leaving.
The novel’s second section is a letter from middle-aged Rainey, who has multiple grown children. For more than 20 years, Charlene has been deceased. Rainey meets an old Dom Carey when she and her husband Doug are remodeling a home. Dom resides with his adopted son Jamie, who has Down syndrome, and his wife Ellen. He becomes friends with Rainey. Rainey finds herself moved by Dom’s generosity and his good relationship with Jamie. When Rainey visits his home one day, she notices a Saigon Barbie sitting on his shelf. As Rainey and Dom become aware of their bond, they reflect on their past experiences with Charlene. Dom perishes in a strange accident later that same day. The following several months saw Doug’s dementia diagnosis. In a letter to Tricia, Rainey requests further details regarding Dom.
The story goes back to Saigon. Charlene takes Tricia to a temporary orphanage in the last few months of Tricia’s stay in Vietnam. She meets a few young kids inside, along with a baby known as “Suzie.” Suzie will travel to America with Tricia, who has made plans for Charlene to raise her as a daughter. Eager to fulfill her goal of parenting, Tricia brings Suzie to the house where she lives with Peter after falling in love with her. But the other kids from the house arrive later that night, wailing for Suzie to come back. Tricia returns Suzie to them, unable to take their weeping any longer.
In late 1963, Tricia and Peter depart from Vietnam, and Charlene’s family leaves soon after. Diem is killed a few days after they arrive in the United States. After the Kellys relocate to Washington, DC, Tricia decides to become a teacher. She gives up on becoming a mother at the age of 35 and undergoes a hysterectomy following three more miscarriages. Before Peter passes away, she and Peter have a lengthy, largely happy marriage. With a heartfelt contemplation of Charlene, Tricia ends the book, praising her for her “outsized generosity and furious ambition.”
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Absolution Themes
- The Quest for Absolution: This main idea is hinted at in the title itself. People who play characters like Tricia struggle with remorse, guilt, and the need to forgive others as well as themselves. This can be understood in light of their deeds in Vietnam, their prior decisions, and the complex social climate of the era.
- The Meaning of “Doing Good”: The novel is set against the backdrop of American presence in Vietnam, which raises issues with colonialism, cultural sensitivity, and the efficacy of purported humanitarian endeavors. The spouses’ efforts to assist raise concerns about genuine assistance and the boundaries of good intentions.
- Friendship and Loss: The relationship between Tricia and Stella serves as a major focal point, illustrating the difficulties of friendship, loyalty, and the effects of taking different routes. The book examines how their decisions in life and their experiences in Vietnam led to loss and estrangement.
- Moral Complexity and Compromise: The characters have to deal with a morally murky environment. People were forced to make morally challenging decisions during the Vietnam War era due to social and political upheaval. The book explores moral ambiguities and the trade-offs people make in their lives.
- The Power of Memory: Years later, Tricia’s reflections tell the narrative. Her memory affects how she processes her experiences and makes sense of the past. The book examines how memory can serve as a window that blocks insight as well as a source of truth.
- The Legacy of War: The protagonists’ lives are long-shadowed by the Vietnam War. Their identities and relationships are permanently altered by the pain, bereavement, and cross-cultural interactions they go through in Saigon.
Absolution Characters
Central Characters
- Patricia “Tricia” Kelly: The protagonist and narrator, an introspective young woman who recounts her experiences in Vietnam years later. She grapples with questions of identity, purpose, and the impact of her time abroad.
- Charlene Swenson: A strong-willed and resourceful woman, a stark contrast to Tricia. Charlene takes charge and influences Tricia’s time in Saigon.
Secondary Characters
- Peter Kelly: Tricia’s husband, a lawyer working in Naval intelligence. He’s often absent due to his work, leaving Tricia to navigate Saigon on her own.
- Rainey Swenson: Charlene’s daughter, initially a young girl Tricia encounters in Vietnam. The story unfolds through present-day letters between Tricia and Rainey as an adult.
- Stella Rizzi: Tricia’s close friend in Vietnam, a more outgoing and adventurous woman. Their paths diverge after the war.
- Dominic (last name not mentioned): A conscientious objector who lives next door to Rainey in later years. He becomes a significant figure in the story, particularly for Tricia.
Other Characters
- Mr. and Mrs. Swenson: Charlene’s more traditional and conservative parents.
- The “Saigon wives”: A group of American women in Vietnam, each with their own experiences and motivations.
My opinion about Absolution by Alice McDermott
The central theme of Absolution: A Novel is belief. This includes beliefs about one’s identity as a Catholic American, one’s duty to support one’s spouse, the US’s crucial role in Vietnam in rescuing the world from Communism, and one’s capacity to improve the world via selfless deeds. The author does a good job of telling the story of these ideas and how they interact, and the first section might have been a stand-alone novella.
The novel’s second section talks about purging possessions, but it also talks about how the ideas that underpinned the previous section are being abandoned. The United States has left Vietnam, religion doesn’t seem to matter, husbands are dying or developing dementia, and the heroic deeds seem to have lost any meaning they may have once held. The ties that bind people together still exist, especially the affection shared between parents and children.
Alice McDermott is, in my opinion, the best writer when it comes to capturing her characters. The reader finds the motivated military wife, the young kids, and the people of Vietnam to be incredibly authentic and credible. I was transported back to those days of incredulity because I grew up in America during this period.McDermott does not point fingers; instead, she accurately depicts a period of history that many of us would prefer to have never occurred.
Excellent work that I heartily endorse.
