Jeanie thinks she was to blame for the sexual assault she suffered in college—and she’d do anything to keep her old-school Catholic family from finding out about the resulting pregnancy, as well as what she did to conceal it.
Years have passed since the assault, and Jeanie’s husband, Greg, still thinks she’s the seemingly innocent girl he married in a rush to spite his controlling mother. It’s … mother. It’s the height of the Seattle dot-com boom, and he’s too busy cashing in his stock options to pay attention to his wife. He isn’t aware of Jeanie’s lingering shame and guilt, or that she married him in the desperate hope that devoting herself to marriage and motherhood would somehow absolve her from the sins in her past.
Their hidden agendas collide when Greg discovers evidence of Jeanie’s long-ago pregnancy. As she confesses the details of that drunken night with her married professor, Greg’s pristine image of her is blown. His shock deepens into violent fury, and Jeanie realizes she needs to leave him—but Greg won’t let her go. He’s up for a big promotion, and he’s not about to let her ruin his reputation by walking out on him. He’ll resort to blackmail if necessary. Or worse.
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A gripping family drama that kept me turning pages. This emotional quick-read will have you reeling from heartache, anger, and frustration to standing up and cheering, thrusting your arm in the air yelling “Yes!” I highly recommend this book!
“ABSOLUTION, Regina Buttner’s CAPTIVATING Debut, draws back the curtain of a seemingly perfect marriage to reveal the dark and complex dynamic between a manipulative narcissist and a woman desperate to make amends for her past.
THE STORY REVEALS THAT WHEN WE SEEK FORGIVENESS, WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT IT FOR OURSELVES.”
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Happy PUB Day!
debutnovel
ABSOLUTION means
(especially in the Christian Church) A FORMAL STATEMENT THAT A PERSON IS FORGIVEN FOR WHAT HE OR SHE HAS DONE WRONG.
Its a POWERFUL, EMPOWERING story of JEANIE, set up in the 90’s.. We go through a moment of nostalgia at the mention of pagers, cordless phones..
She is the youngest of her large, Catholic, down-to-earth, simple, Good fearing family.. & is doing graduation.
She gets pregnant by her prof., who uses her innocence & gullibility.. But she gets a feeling of GUILTY which she endorses & carries even after getting married & having kids.
The story shows the story of a young girl, who is naive, keeps on making silly mistakes in her life (although the mild signs are always there) , for which she has to pay a lot..
Even the life partner & in laws she chooses, don’t turn out well but it takes her two kids & a homemaker status to realise their real facets.
There’s a lot more to the story but it’s basically speaks for;
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
&
FORGIVENESS- OF LETTING GO of the past.
Beautifully penned, it’s an inspiring debut.
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“A poignant novel about a woman’s struggle to regain her power. Secrets and hidden agendas begin to unravel the already fraying marriage between a narcissistic husband and an ‘eager to please’ wife. ”
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“ABSOLUTION is a gripping, heart-wrenching story of a woman walking a tightrope between the traditional values she was raised with and a marriage that threatens to destroy her. A true page-turner; readers will find themselves rooting for Jeanie as she fights to find herself.”
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“In the End, ABSOLUTION teaches us Survival, Resolution, and Hope.”
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I love stories which examine human fragility and complexity in all its forms, and Absolution does just that. The protagonist Jeanie struggles with feelings of guilt and shame throughout her adulthood as she simultaneously attempts to be an empathetic, appreciative and upbeat wife to an opinionated and rather controlling husband. The dynamics in her marriage change with time, forcing Jeanie to explore what she truly wants from the relationship. The book reads smoothly, with plenty of authenticity regarding family life, spousal roles/conflict and inner turmoil.
Absolution provides a heartfelt rendering of how women are their own worst enemies in terms of the guilt and shame we perpetuate for our actions, even when they are not our responsibility alone. What is so endearing is the quality of the writing, how the protagonist, Jeanie, reflects reality in her choice of a domineering spouse, and the plot twists that surprise and engage the reader in Jeanie’s fight to regain her own sense of self-worth in spite of all that’s thrown at her. I was engaged from the first page and am still thinking about the characters days after turning the last page.
Jeanie is from a strong catholic family and always does her best to make them proud. When she ends up pregnant after an assault, she knows the truth will destroy her parents. She will do whatever it takes for them not to find out.
Everyday Jeanie feels haunted by the assault, and then she meets and marries Greg in a matter of months. She thinks he is the answer to all of her problems, but soon finds out that he is the worst of her problems. A few years into their marriage Jeanie is basically a single mom raising two kids and trying to keep up the perfect image to keep her husband happy. Greg who is always traveling, always trying to keep up with the Joneses and never makes time for his wife or children. He is emotionally abusive, a first class narcissist and I couldn’t stand him!
This is a heartbreaking story about a wife and mother who is devoted to her parents, her religion, her children and her husband, all while carrying the heavy weight of her secret. I wanted Jeanie to have more faith in herself, not second guess when she saw the charges on the credit card, and go home to the comfort of her family. I didn’t want her children to see the way Greg treated her and think that it was ok. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction and not a memoir. It made me wonder how many marriages are like this. Probably a lot more than I think.
Bravo to the author for this surprising debut! This one comes out October 13th!
Book Rating: 4/5
Wine Pairing: Shannon Reserve Chardonnay 2017
Look at this little book baby. Read that synopsis. Then pre-order this one so you can devour this story (and you only have less than a week to wait!). But yeah, this was a deep book and yet I couldn’t put it down. There were so many layers to the story and I couldn’t help but sympathize with Jeanie.
Greg is the type of person/character that just makes you want to slap them. So you’ll find yourself rooting for Jeanie and celebrating when she becomes empowered by herself. And anyone who has dealt with someone who thinks they can control you by playing with your emotions understands just how Jeanie felt and even how difficult it can be to leave the situation.
One thing I’m shocked about is that this was a debut novel! It had such heavy content yet was pulled off so well that it took you on the journey with our MC instead of telling us that story. So while this book might not be digestible by everyone, it is a powerful read that I think people need to pick up. Especially because I think many people can relate to at least some aspect of this story.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews #Absolution” @reginabuttnerbooks Regina Buttner @sparkpress October 2020 for @suzyapprovedbooktours
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Absolution”. by Regina Buttner, SparkPress, October 2020, for Suzy Approved Book Tours
Regina Buttner, the author of “Absolution” has written a memorable, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are fiction, domestic fiction, and women’s fiction. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, and dysfunctional. I appreciate that the author discusses controversial and contemporary subjects such as sexual assault, religious differences, the power of secrets, and emotional and physical abuse in a relationship.
Jeanie comes from a devout Catholic family and is sexually assaulted by a professor. After losing the baby, Jeanie feels tremendous guilt but keeps this from her family. Jeanie leaves town with a friend and meets Greg, a polite man, who is a workaholic. His parents have an arrogant air, and he himself dislikes his mother’s harsh attitude. The two marry and have children.
After a number of years, Greg finds information out about Jeanie’s past, and he is angry. He becomes angry and abusive, and Jeanie fears for her life.
I like that the author discusses the importance of truth and communication, the importance of family and friends, and love and hope. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking story.
This was a great debut novel by this author and very well written. It was an easy read and kept me in suspense which I love! I personally would have liked to see Jeanie stand up more for herself and her kids. She knew exactly what her husband was up to the whole time and let him get away with everything imaginable. I found myself rolling my eyes at the amount of times he said he was going out of town or would call and say he was staying longer. The way he treated his family was completely unacceptable. Jeanie, however, was a fantastic mother and endured way more emotional and verbal abuse than anyone should. She has her own past to deal with and feels like staying with him will help absolve her from what happened a long time ago. But really, she just needs to forgive herself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.