I found Absolution to be an amazing read. It was so real. And I have never been to Saigon. I have known some Viet names folks tho,and this book is written in homage to them. Specially to Lily and her cousin. Also,I was challenged to understand the American wife Charlene. She was dedicated to help people who were strangers to her. But in her hurried life she,at times, mistreated her own family. And her own friends. She is a puzzling person. That seemed real to me too.