- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Publisher: Picador; Main Market edition (19 Sept. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1509886141
- ISBN-13: 978-1509886142
Synopsis
One winter’s afternoon on Hampstead Heath in 1980, Elise Morceau meets Constance Holden and quickly falls under her spell. Connie is bold and alluring, a successful writer whose novel is being turned into a major Hollywood film. Elise follows Connie to LA, a city of strange dreams and swimming pools and late-night gatherings of glamorous people. But whilst Connie thrives on the heat and electricity of this new world where everyone is reaching for the stars and no one is telling the truth, Elise finds herself floundering. When she overhears a conversation at a party that turns everything on its head, Elise makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.
Three decades later, Rose Simmons is seeking answers about her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was Constance Holden, a reclusive novelist who withdrew from public life at the peak of her fame, Rose is drawn to the door of Connie’s imposing house in search of a confession . . .
From the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse, The Confession is a luminous, powerful and deeply moving novel about secrets and storytelling, motherhood and friendship, and how we lose and find ourselves.
Review
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I was offered the chance to read and review he new book from Jessie Burton. The Confession is set in 1980’s Los Angeles and 2017 London, two very different locations; the glamour of one and the other more mundane. Rose has never known her mother who left when she was just a few months old. Brought up by her father she has never lacked love but she has always felt she is missing something, and can’t help but wonder what happened to her mother, and who she was. 1980 Constance Holden is a successful author whose book is going to be made in to a film in Hollywood. In a chance meeting on Hampstead Heath she meets Elise, younger than her, more naive and from that day Elise falls under her spell, and before she knows it finds herself with Constance in LA. But Hollywood is not all glamour, and soon cracks behind to appear in their relationship, and Elise questions who she is and what she is doing in her life. As these two different threads come together, and the truth comes out these women have to face the choices they have made, and take a look at who they really are.
Having previously reviewed Jessie Burton’s two previous novels, The Miniaturist and The Muse, I couldn’t wait to read this book. Different from her the previous books, The Confession has a more contemporary setting and feel. Jessie really brings Hollywood of the 1980’s to life, the glamour, money, the shoulder pads and white blazers Miami Vice style. One phrase really summed up the Hollywood of that period, and still applies today was ‘elastic beauty’, the aim of retaining youth. The sun, sea, sand and parties are a stark contrast to the life Constance and Elise led in London. It was interesting to read how this glamour effected Constance and Elise who had very different experiences; one falls under the spell whilst the other sees how fake it all is and makes a decision that changes her life forever.
The three main female characters are all very different in character. Rose is thirty four, and has spent most of her life seeking information about her mother, her father not telling her much. She seems like a half person, lost and just drifting through life with no real purpose. She is in a relationship with Joe that is going nowhere, she has an English degree but has no ambition to do anything with it and works in a cafe. After finding out Constance is a connection to her mother she takes a chance and starts to grow, gain confidence and learn more about herself and accept who she is. Constance is the glue that binds the 1980’s and present day plot. In the 80’s she is a successful writer, enjoying her fame and soaking up the glamour of LA. in the present she is a recluse and has not written a book in over thirty years. I have noticed in Jessie Burton’s books there is always a relationship between an older, more confident women befriending or mentoring a younger, more naive and self conscious woman. In this book that older woman is Constance and both Elise and Rose are the younger women who fall under her spell. The characters are all multi faceted and drawn with reality and depth that make them fascinating to read about.
The Confession is a moving and powerful read that looks at the many guises woman take, and the importance of knowing who you are and taking control of your own life. There are many issues raised in this book that women face on a day to day basis and how they shape the person you become. Beautifully written, this is a compelling and intelligent read that I completely lost myself in. This is another masterful and sublime read from Jessie Burton.
