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The Absolutes  By  cover art

The Absolutes

By: Molly Dektar
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
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Publisher's summary

"Read this. Right now." —Brandon Taylor

"Molly Dektar can write like hell. [The Absolutes] is simply ravishing." —Melissa Febos

For fans of Emma Cline and Garth Greenwell, an arresting, seductive novel about one woman’s headlong dive into a reckless affair that leaves her teetering on the edge of sanity.

“In truth, the idea of evil didn’t worry me at all. There were all these checks on it, of romance and restraint. In such a context, evil was intriguing.”

When Nora, a withdrawn American teenager, is sent to live with relatives in Turin, she meets Nicola, the enigmatic son of the most powerful aristocratic family in Italy.

Years later, the two reconnect in New York and begin a heated affair. Propelled by disorienting desire, Nora quickly becomes entangled in Nicola’s insular, menacing world of old-world luxury and family secrets. When she suspects she’s being used in a secret plot to overthrow his corrupt father, Nora willfully turns submissive to Nicola, pushing against the boundaries of her own moral limits until she finds herself spiraling on a path of self-destruction.

The Absolutes is searing, subversive examination of manipulation, obsession, and sexual desire. With unsparing intrigue and ferocity, Dektar proves herself to be one of the most ambitious writers working today.

©2023 Molly Dektar (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

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Vivid, gorgeous novel

The Absolutes is an incredibly powerful story. So many beautiful scenes that have stuck with me—the snowy gondola ride, the walks in Central Park, the opulent dinner parties. I listened to it almost straight through and was so struck by Dektar’s vivid and beautiful writing. The narration is fabulous as well—wonderful flow and soft, comforting tone; the narrator’s voice seems to perfectly capture the nostalgia and emotional power of the novel. The story was addictive, leading me into the main character Nora’s obsessive love so gracefully and poignantly that I felt just as swept up in the emotional experience as she was. The questions of wealth, morality and shared reality posed by this novel will leave me pondering for quite some time. Thank you Molly Dektar for this powerful book. I am deeply moved and creatively inspired having finished it.

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Nothing artistic about abuse

This story fetishizes severe abuse and significant mental health issues. Adolescent melodrama. The narrator did a good job though.

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