Confessions

by Catherine Airey

An extraordinarily moving and expansive debut novel that follows three generations of women from New York to rural Ireland and back again.

It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady’s father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges. Her mother died long ago and now, orphaned on the cusp of adulthood, Cora is adrift and alone. Soon, a letter will arrive with the offer of a new life: far out on the ragged edge of Ireland, in the town where her parents were young, an estranged aunt can provide a home and fulfil a long-forgotten promise. There the story of her family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool…

An essential, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, Confessions traces the arc of three generations of women as they experience in their own time the irresistible gravity of the past: its love and tragedy, its mystery and redemption, and, in all things intended and accidental, the beauty and terrible shade of the things we do.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ireland, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, New York

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2025

About the author

Catherine Airey grew up in England in a family of mixed Irish and English descent, and now lives in County Cork. Confessions is her first novel.

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

For all the buzz this book is getting, I was never really invested in the story. It's a surprisingly conventional tale of three generations of Irish women dealing with love, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, sibling rivalry and family secrets. There's more than a touch of melodrama, and while Airey's prose is smooth and competent, it's not distinctive or stylish.

With fractured timelines, switching from the 1970s to 2020s, changing focalisations of the various women, and movements from Ireland to New York and back again, it all feels a bit busy and jumpy and sacrifices depth of characterisation to plot.

There are interesting gestures towards women as artists but the motif of the computer game feels clumsy and the theme of family secrets is overblown and overused in so-called 'women's fiction'. It's as if the connections between the various stories are missing even though some of the early scenes, especially, are vivid.

It feels to me like this loses its way and the emotional authenticity of the start dissipates so that it becomes a bit mechanical and formulaic in getting to the end - plot structure trumps organic development. It starts to feel like big themes are treated in a gratuitous way a half Irish, half African man to allow some race commentary; rape and abuse; unwanted pregnancies; mental illness; women artists; suicide; secret genealogies, even 9/11 to kickstart the story without being integrated in more than a passing fashion.

A promising debut but this kind of family saga built on secrets would need some kind of additional energy to hold my attention: I felt I'd read this story many times before.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via Netgalley

[Henk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now nominated for the Waterstones debut fiction prize!
Rightfully one of the buzziest debuts of 2025, even though the ending was a bit sweet for my liking. Family ties and the impact of secrets over time are carefully examined. Despite nearly 500 pages, I would have liked more!
A person has to be selfish to really feel alive, without that we are just wasting time and it is eating away at us.

Sisterly rivalry, unequal relationships, mental health and 9/11 come together in an enticing read. Confessions tells the story of two Irish sisters, one a writer and one a drawer, who only for the briefest of times unite their talents in a common pursuit in a video game. Catherine Airey uses short, snappy chapters to draw us into their familial history, with one of the sisters moving to 80s New York and the other staying behind in a societally changing Ireland. Meanwhile the start of this book, with a girl coming to terms with 9/11 and the death of her father immediately draws the reader in; I would have loved to follow this thread further. This first chapter set at 9/11 is so well done in narrative voice, a teenage girl growing up and losing her mother first and then her father. The chapters hereafter are short and snappy, diving into the history of our main character her parents and why there arose estrangement in her mother's family.

There are interesting symmetries between women over time, from the 1970s Irish chapters to the 2010s, with walking through New York, going to cinemas, violence and mental health problems recurring. Women in general in this book are constantly in some way abused by men, and find themselves in unequal relationships, while also not making lives for each other easy at all. I understand why one of the main character is reading Sylvia Plath, with mental health being a theme. We have the Celtic Tiger crash, Sims 3 and envy for a MacBook Air; Airey in an excellent manner is able to conjure place and time.

While I fully understand the comparison with The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, with the start of the book coinciding with tragedy in New York, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow which is also in the blurb came less to mind. The video game is less of a narratively important device than in that novel.
Rather at times, maybe due to the extreme nature of events involving parentage and coincidences in the big city, I was reminded of A Little Life. Also, I thought of the writing of Sally Rooney, in terms of clinically and cuttingly analysing relationships.

An accomplished and impressive debut, I am sure this will garner some prize nominations.
I would definitely read more by Catherine Airey in the future!

Quotes:
People need to go away and find themselves

She was the only one allowed to change, I was supposed to stay the same.

People do love to make assumptions and I do love to misdirect rather than be transparent

It doesn’t matter how many people you know or where you go, you’re left with yourself.

Maybe all stories are more to do with the why than the what, ever thought about that?

I used to think that art would be the thing that saved her, but maybe it messed her up?

To life our lives not together but apart.

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a dream. I adore stories on 9/11, and I love New York. I asked for a review copy which didn’t end up eventuating, but I quickly jumped onto the audio version with a full cast of narrators. This version was sublime, the accents beautiful and all the emotions transported to my ears creating beautiful imagery. The storyline to this debut is remarkable. Not only does it recount the heady days of the awful day of September 11, it interweaves magically three generations affected by this, and many other magical elements of art, relationship, love, longing, madness and belonging.

Flawed characters discovering their shared pasts containing secrets and mysticism, each of the stories were intricate and deep. The overall tying together was fabulous, with the back and forth between the 1970’s to current time seamless, though obviously different. The topography of New York told through the eyes of a young girl walking all of the bridges of NY with her father was beautiful.

This book deserves deep commitment, so my listening during a heavy work task may have not been the best idea, but this also showed me I was enraptured. I will purchase this book, which is something I rarely do after listening, one of the last times I did this was for the beautiful 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘺 : 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 9/𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 @𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘨𝘮𝘨 which also covers this fave topic of mine.

Finding ancestors, tracing truths, and knowing what to keep to ourselves, or not. I loved the back and forth between New York and Ireland, I was right there with the wonderful characters, becoming enamoured with Lyca. All the women were engaging and deep characters to form bonds with.I can’t wait to see what this author delivers next.

I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In September 2001 the world changes and it certainly does so for 16-year-old Cora Brady, who like many others posts pictures of her missing father, Michael. She’s all alone now, her mother dying seven years previously. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from her estranged aunt Róisín in Ireland, who is now not only her legal guardian but also offering her a home in Burtonport, Donegal, which she accepts. This is a family saga, the story of three generations of women,
Maire, Cora‘s mother, Róisín, Cora‘s aunt and Cora’s daughter Lyca.

I thoroughly enjoy this debut novel which has a constantly changing tone depending on whose narrative is. At times it’s haunting, some of the characters are certainly haunted by what’s gone before. Is the story of power that individuals over others, there’s conflict and tragedy, injustice and trauma as well as being a story of well concealed secrets. There’s love and care, there’s mystery but it’s mostly a novel about finding the strength to overcome major challenges. It’s an ambitious first novel, it’s very creative and beautifully written.

I find it becomes increasingly immersive, I want to know and understand. Some of their stories are tough, heartbreaking and leaving them with real issues to either overcome or go under. It makes me feel a range of emotions from anger to sympathy and empathy.

The characters are the main features inevitably in a tale like this. None of them are run of the mill, all are interesting, and quite deep making it hard to understand them at times but I enjoy the puzzle. Each one feels unique and they have a different voice. I like Lyca the best as she has less angst and there’s more hope there! The dynamics between them fascinating as they struggle or compete, they’re complex and their stories are woven together with skill.

Overall, it’s an engaging and compelling read and I’m sure that this author has a bright future ahead of her.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General UK, Viking for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Dona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished Reading

Pre-Read notes

So, the publisher's description of this book compares it to The Goldfinch, which is my second favorite book of all time, and one of the best books ever written. Seriously. It won a Pulitzer. So, Airey has got some big shoes to fill!

Final Review

She had spent all her life trying to create her own story, exercising her free will. And it was exhausting. It was unholy. It had left her barren. (1:01:25)

I have quite a few quibbles with this book, but I liked it and the last 50 pages are amazing.

It doesn’t matter how many people you know, or where you go. You’re left with yourself. p205

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I wanted to see what kind of presence its absence had created. I liked the fact that Coney Island was always changing and yet somehow felt the same. p10 Interesting insight about the places we inhabit. Who says you can't go home again? This writing is going to be sharp. It needs to be. *edit The presence of absence becomes a prevailing theme, but I don't think she makes enough of it, rather, she just repeats this syntax again and again, "presence of absence," in different contexts.

2. The main character is often introspective. I find these sections serve up remarkable writing, like this: I hadn’t been thinking about all the things a person has to do to live in the world –the constant bills and paperwork, remembering to feed yourself. I could understand why the saints wanted to get away from it all, why a person would choose to become a nun. Submitting to an order must give a person so much space. p37

3. Repeated phrases abound. Though I'm not sure exactly what Airey was aiming for with this affect, I sort of love it.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The dad's alive, the dad's dead, the dad's alive, the dad's dead. Experimental timelines don't have to make sense.

2. One of this things that makes The Goldfinch so brilliant is Donna Tart's style, not just the very good story and form. Since we're comparing, Airey's style is not nearly as intuitive and beautiful as Tartt's. That being said, the story and form here are both engaging, and I can see why the comparison was made.

3. The entire section in second-person-present put me in my doldrums. *edit There's a point at which the second person naturally breaks the fourth wall, addresses the audience as though aware of them. It's quite clever. But it doesn't redeem the second person style issues.

4. It's not clear yet how these sections, all having their own timelines, connect. Because of that, the plot feels flimsy and convoluted.

5. The midpoint turn places the story solidly in romance category, which is not at all what I expected from this book. From any book comparing itself to The Goldfinch.

6. For so long [my sister has] been between us – always there, even half the world away. We’d tried pushing her out, ignoring the presence of her absence. But that was futile.
p187 The sister's lover trope. Well, color me bored as hell.

7. This is a difficult book to read, not because the style is advanced but because the pieces don't always meet up.

Rating: 👤👤👤.5/5 absences
Recommend? yes
Finished: Jan 2 '25
Format: digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪶 - literary fiction
🪢 - experimental fiction
💄 - women's fiction
👩‍👩‍👦 - family stories

Thank you to the author Catherine Airey, publishers Mariner Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of CONFESSIONS. All views are mine.
---------------

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) I became interested in this book because I happened to read the blurb for the US edition, which includes a lot of detail its UK equivalent leaves out. In particular the fact that parts of the story revolve around a mysterious semi-lost videogame called Scream School. This, for better or worse, is the sort of thing that immediately makes a small and very irrational part of my brain go into MUST READ THIS BOOK overdrive.

Scream School is an interesting detail, and one of the most memorable things about this book, but the UK publishers were probably right to leave it out of their synopsis: this is the type of story in which such a detail is incidental embellishment, not an engine for narrative developments. Confessions is a multi-generational tale of women in New York and rural Ireland, flipping back and forth between the 20th and 21st centuries as it follows the connected fates of Cora, Róisín, Máire and Lyca.

I have few real complaints about Confessions, which is well-written and skilfully structured to show us the ways in which these characters’ lives intersect and mirror one another. (Although, on that note: there is one recurring plot point which feels unlikely in how many times it happens to different people.) It’s an impressive debut. However, I never really found anything in here that resonated with me, and I’m already starting to forget the characters and plot. This will likely appeal more to those who enjoy quietly insightful family sagas. I think I just need a bit more intrigue and strangeness in a story.

I received an advance review copy of Confessions from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Emily Goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

don’t want to speak too soon but maybe the best book i read this year???? absolute masterpiece i didn’t want it to end x

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, Confessions is a book about family and place. It's about belonging and knowing who your tribe are - whether you're related by blood or not. As so many of the characters in the book discover - who you thought was your blood is not necessarily the truth and they aren't always the people who will fight for you or that you'll be closest to.

Confessions begins with Cora Brady whose father has just died in the North Tower on 9/11. Her mother had passed a few years previously and as Cora begins to navigate her new world she receives a letter from an aunt she had not known about.

The rest of the story carries us back to the lives of Cora's mother and aunt (with firays into their pasts). It follows the sisters as they deal with their own father's death and mother's withdrawal from the world.

Throughout the book there are also glimpses of a computer game called Scream School, which is the house that dominates the whole book. It is a place where all the women have differing experiences of life bit where they continually return to.

I found this book quite hypnotic at times as it delves backwards into the recent past dealing with it in a very personal way. There are difficult subjects tackled such as teenage pregnancy, abortion, rape, women's rights, death and dementia.

Not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination but it's also extremely well written; a beautifully told tale of love, loss and hope. A marvellous debut. I look forward to reading more by Catherine Airey.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Rachel Quin/Penguin for the advance review copy
Most appreciated.

[Quirine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall intriguing but a little too ambitious in scope: the multigenerational tale, different pov’s, fragmented structure and different settings too disjointed to bring the story to a satisfying ending. Or rather maybe too satisfying, the way every secret came neatly together and seemed to be connected. What makes the story feel so haphazard is that none of the characters get fully developed, you rather only switch over to them when something traumatic happens, missing all the in between moments that would be able to bring them to life. The theme of abortion felt like it was thought of later and brought into the story to create some kind of overarching theme, but again, it did not feel meaningful, just clunky. The chapter that was completely compromised of letters was where it really fell flat for me. It felt like an easy way out.

All in all, it felt like the real story got a little lost in between the puzzle pieces. Luckily the pieces were interesting enough to keep you hooked, because I did fly through this book. I just wish the idea for the story (which could work) was executed in a different way—maybe through the pov of only one, or at most two, characters.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confessions will inevitably face a lot of comparisons to books like The Goldfinch, due to the expansive nature, as well as for the injection of art into the storylines.
But I think this was a lot softer. Less pretentious, more human (and I love The Goldfinch, for the record.)

We follow many people, over several lifetimes, all threaded precariously together in the same family tree. It’s a story about art, grief, legacy, and the things we can and cannot survive.

It will invariably be one of the buzziest books of the year.

It’s beautiful—and I will be one of many who exclaim that they can’t believe this is a debut.

(Thank you to the publisher for an early copy, in exchange for a review)

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the US and Ireland, this is a wonderful debut about three generations of women and their lives, loves, and secrets. Airey’s writing is accomplished and she succeeds very well in getting the reader to care for the characters. I liked the structure of this novel, which forces you to keep paying attention, and the focus on women and their personal struggles. Not always an easy read, but a great read nonetheless.
Thank you Penguin UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of three generations of women, star ting in 2001 in New York and ending in 2018, but what makes this so interesting to read is the way we slowly read what happened even before 2001 too.
We start with Cora Brady in New York but it is also the story of her mother Máire, her aunt Róisín, Cora’s daughter Lyca and not to forget Michael, Cora’s father. We switch from New York to Ireland and back.
I found it sometimes a little hard to understand who was who but each and every character has a unique voice so after a few pages in a new chapter it soon became clear. In fact, I understand why the author did this, and it adds an extra layer to an already multi-layered story.
Gripping, interesting and captivating. A wonderful debut and I hope to read more from this author in time.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for this review copy.

[Ruben · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

An engaging and fluently written debut following three generations of Irish women, jumping between New York City and rural County Donegal in Ireland. It's full of young mothers and absent fathers. If there is an overarching theme it's probably abortion, but the plot is central as family secrets are gradually revealed.

I enjoyed it, it felt fresh even if not particularly innovative. I wanted to know how it all fit together. I suspect Booker judges may find it slightly too light for the longlist though.

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly giving this one 3 ⭐️ feels generous, but it is a debut author and I think she had a good idea. The story didn’t flow together and everything was clunky while reading. The women were all unforgettable and I wish the author kept the focus on one woman and really fleshed it all out.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

oof, this is a tough one to review. while i really liked the beginning and the ending, i definitely struggled with the middle section; airey’s prose is beautiful, but i think some of the narrative choices were a tad bit questionable. it just felt excessively overt-the-top at times; without entering spoiler territory, i do think the sa could have been handled more carefully and explored in a far more insightful way, as it felt somewhat gratuitous.

as for the characters, i somewhat liked cora, but definitely struggled a lot with máire, who i think could have been a little more developed as a character. i liked michael and i found the exploration of the discrimination he faced as a black irish man quite interesting; róisín was also a very sweet character, and i also ended up liking lyca. overall, i do think there is a lot of merit in crafting such an expansive story of grief, generational trauma, and complex relationships between women; however, i wish it had been done in a more nuanced way, or at least avoiding the more melodramatic parts of the story.

many thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m literally speechless. This is by far and away my favourite read of the year. This deserves to become the biggest novel of 2025 and I firmly hope it does!!! An absolute must read!

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confessions by Catherine Airey is a book about the lineage of women and their messy yet realistic lives. It begins with Cora, talking about the death of her mother and then later, her father. It is an intriguing opening to the book, sampling the expert and complex characterisation that continues throughout. It sets up a narrative in which personal stories told by each of Cora's family members is interspersed with mysterious snippets of a game called 'Scream School'. There is no part of this book that is not entwined with another, and while that may be briefly confusing for on and off readers, it overall adds a brilliant layer of complexity to the novel.

The most notable feature of this book would be, of course, the characters. Throughout, each have a consistent voice and a distinct personality which carries through. One of my favourite parts is the fact that, no matter how far removed they are from one another, they each are connected in some way. This is through obvious things like relation but also through small physical details such as Michael, Cora's father, buying fries so she could dip them into her milkshake and then how Cora's daughter, Lyca does the same for her crush Sanjeet. As the book progresses, there are notable dynamics which are very interesting. The first I picked up on was the mother-daughter dynamic in which the daughter occupies the role of the parent. This is seen in Cora mothering Marie due to her mother's mental struggles and how she loved reading Alice in Wonderland together as that was the only time Marie would "behave like a normal mother". This unorthodox relationship is also mirrored in Cora being emotionally managed by Lyca. At first, I found it odd that Lyca would only call her mum by her first name but as the story progressed it becomes clear as to why she managed her Mum's immaturity the way she did.

Due to the intricacies of their demeanours and the explicit nature of their own personalities, each character comes across as fully developed and realistic which allows for believable connections between them. The battle between Roisin and Marie for Michael's affection is palpable yet also very subtle. The dysfunctional nature of their sisterly dynamic is the underlying theme throughout the book and that was something I enjoyed thoroughly. Reading Roisin's perspective on her childhood both through her youth and old age is a brilliant way to keep the readers engaged. Roisin's story had the ability to stagnate due to her not encountering many significant changes in her life yet her sections of narration were wildly entertaining. The theme of familiarity and its slow development really added a solid backbone for this book. This allowed for more comedic elements to shine which is needed in what otherwise would be considered a 'heavy' novel. Mini insights to the characters like Marie not allowing Cora dolls but then letting her own a flashlight-doll hybrid adds so much to their development. I constantly found myself relating to the characters, like Lyca believing that if you looked away from a loading screen it would load faster, and thus found myself becoming more invested in their storylines.

Each character had a chance to narrate their own point of views and that is something I always love in a book. It highlights the unreliability of each character and gives the readers a deeper insight into their personalities. This was done especially brilliantly in Marie's portions of the book. Her complex mental health struggles created the most wonderful dynamic between reader and narrator as she was incredibly dysfunctional to read about. Her portions being written in second person rather than first, like the others, separates her from the rest of the story and further highlights that dysfunction. Although, it was confusing to read at first. She was by far the most enjoyable character to follow along with, however, there were some instances of abuse which I believe the readers should be warned about before reading, such as the substance and sexual abuse.

Furthermore, the unreliability of each narrator and the sudden changes of time periods did confuse me a couple of times and thus made it hard for me to get totally invested. I found myself constantly trying to refer to previous sections of the book to find out what the connection was to my current chapter. Having two connecting instances/people at either end of the book did somewhat take away from the tension of the mystery and leads the reader feeling less satisfied with the reveal. That being said, seemingly untied loose ends were explained nicely in Lyca's section at the end of the book and were therefore rounded off well. Additionally, interspersing snippets from the Scream School game did drag out the tension but also created a mystery of its own. It allowed for a break between emotionally taxing and complex plotlines which was very needed. It's mystery was also rounded off well in Lyca's portion of the book, I just wish that there were more hints about where it was going to keep up my interest. Yet where the plot structure faltered, the language didn't. It kept the book feeling fresh with each sentence and was entirely dynamic. Descriptions were done in magnificent detail while not being 'overly flowery' or filled with adjectives. Instead, it described emotions and scenes perfectly and in a way that was easy to read. I especially enjoyed the portion where Marie went to her university friend's family home for Thanksgiving and their whole dynamic ended up symbolising American gluttony. Writing like this adds another layer of the realism that really is the core of this book.

In conclusion, if you want to read a book with no idea of where its going, read this one. If you want to become completely invested in a whole jumble of characters, read this one. While it does have moments where it loses its tension or chronological narrative, in the end you'll have found that you have read a perfectly satisfactory book. At that point, I urge you to read it again because I am sure that you'll pick up on new clues you didn't find the first time.

[Tilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a brilliant debut! Confessions has a fantastically intricate narrative that effortlessly slips between perspectives and eras. Each point of view feels distinct, compelling, and completely believable, though some more so than others. Lots of satisfying and subtle call backs (and foreshadowing) to prior (and upcoming) events: this doesn’t feel forced or clunky, it serves to remind us what a small world we can live in sometimes. A remarkable book, and so impressive for a first novel!

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ve gotta love January for the whopper new novels, and so many of the good ones are debut novels like this one. Catherine Airey grew up in England to mixed Irish-English parentage and wrote her debut novel Confessions in Cork.

If you love sprawling, literary, multi-generational novels spanning continents, this is one for you - think The Secret History, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow or In Memoriam.

Confessions is seriously addictive reading, maintaining quite a pace almost throughout the entire ~480 pages. It is intricately plotted and plays with narrative styles, switching for one of the voices to second person narrative. It uses an old-school video game as a plot device that perhaps didn’t always work for me but I admired the author’s boldness in putting it front and centre.

The book opens with a bang: “Two days after she disappeared most of my mother’s body washed up in Flushing Creek”, and propels the reader through to the end, turning pages, dying to know what happens.

It’s New York in 2001 and Cora is a 16 year old girl to single father Michael, who works for Cantor Fitzgerald. Michael loses his life in the North Tower on 9/11, and so the story of three generations of women is launched. The story moves to Burtonport in Co Donegal, and back to NYC.

It touches on a range of social issues (abortion rights, AIDS, rape, mental illness to name but a few) and perhaps this is where it lost me a little. Some issues were shoehorned in a bit. It’s a minor complaint in what is a pretty astonishing debut novel that is bound to be a huge hit when it’s published on 25 January. 4.5/5 ⭐️

Many thanks to @vikingbooksuk for the arc via @netgalley. As always, an honest review.

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am struggling with writing this review, book friends. I have a love/hate relationship with this book, and don’t know where to begin. CONFESSIONS by Catherine Airey started off super strong and was giving me the five star feels—I couldn’t put it down! It opens with a young woman’s reaction to the 9/11 attacks that I found completely mesmerizing. Then the timeline and POV quickly switches which left me feeling cheated and wanting more. I’m finding it difficult to describe this novel—there’s a lot going on! So many storylines, time frames, settings, and even formats that quickly change throughout. The beginning absolutely blew me away, the middle kinda lost me, but the conclusion made up for it.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Multiple POVs and timelines
- NYC and Ireland settings
- Multigenerational stories
- Mother/daughter relationships
- Sisterhood and sibling rivalry
- Family drama and dynamics
- Video games
- Complex characters
- Politics and activism
- Mental health representation
- Reflections on the 9/11 attacks

In all honesty, there was just too much timeline jumping and switching of perspectives for my liking. It was rather off-putting. Just when I was getting into a character’s storyline and making a solid connection, everything changed. Whether that be the POV, time frame, or format. I found it quite irritating and sometimes confusing.

With all that said, the writing was superb, unique, and captivating. There’s no doubt in my mind that Airey is an extremely talented writer. One thing for sure is that I’ll never forget this novel. It’s much too quirky and unique! Definitely give this debut a go! 3.5/5 stars for CONFESSIONS!

[Francesca Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, adored this. A mix between Tomorrow x3 and Goldfinch - I loved it, really recommend

[Kristy Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My god, this book was just perfect. I didn’t know what to expect going in but I know it far exceeded those expectations. An actual masterpiece, in my eyes.

I love books that follow families across generations when it’s done well and it was done masterfully in Confessions. We see the way sisters, Roisin and Maire’s decisions affect their lineage for decades spanning from Ireland to New York City and back again.

Devastating, beautiful, mesmerizing - exploring motherhood, sisterhood, love, grief, betrayal.

The fact that this is Catherine Aireys debut and can go toe to toe with the best modern classics blows my mind. I truly can’t wait to read whatever she puts out in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

[emily ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing that this is a debut! An emotive read exploring love and loss from different perspectives, places, and points in time.

I loved the way this novel was structured, the story broken into pieces for the reader to put together as the novel progressed. My only criticism was that I felt a little too much was revealed at the end; the reader knew the full story and that was enough, without all characters needing to know everything too.

Interested to see the success of this novel following publication. Thank you to Penguin General UK via NetGalley for the ARC!

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confessions by Catherine Airey is a fascinating, emotional family saga debut.

The novel starts in 2001, New York, right after 9/11. The atmosphere is sinister, as can be expected after the chaos the city was in during and after the attacks. Character Cora takes the reader with her in her quest to find herself and her family, going back to Ireland.
The novel then highlights the perspectives of Cora's family members, past and present, in Ireland and New York, and tells the reader which secrets have been buried long ago.

What kept me reading were intricate details connecting the different storylines and perspectives, the way that everything adds up beautifully in the end. The story is raw, emotional, and a joy to read. The ending is somewhat open, although the reader may be able to imagine how the characters' lives will unfold in the future. Seeing this book in its published form in bookstores makes me want to cling to other bookshoppers and tell them "please buy this book, you will not regret it."

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin General UK for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Myra Schmitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mooiste boek van 2024

[coolgirlsliketoread · Rating 2 out of 5]

“It doesn't matter how many people you know, or where you go. You're left with yourself.”

Confessions follows several generations of women from 1970s Ireland, 2000s New York, and the present day, exploring family secrets, loneliness and isolation, poor choices, and unplanned pregnancies.

Despite being well-written, the story feels slow and often disconnected, with plot points that don’t seem to tie together beyond the shared family bond. At 480 pages, I never became emotionally invested in any of the characters.

A major issue for me was the constant shifting of perspectives. Just as I started to connect with one character, the point of view would change, making it hard to form a lasting attachment. I also dislike when secrets are revealed to the reader before the characters themselves find out. This happened often and took away the chance to experience those moments alongside the characters.

I appreciate the ambition of this novel, the woman-forward narrative and the complex characters. The individual storylines are interesting and often take unexpected turns (plot points range from 9/11, to abortion access in Ireland to playing the sims) yet the overall connection between the characters didn’t feel as meaningful as I’d hoped. I kept waiting for a moment that would tie everything together and make it all worthwhile, but that never came. Confessions is an intriguing read, but I finished it feeling unsatisfied.

[Wendy Greenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt rather like this novel ate me up and spat me out. At first I was intrigued, then engrossed, confused, curious, fascinated, more confused then engrossed again.

Whilst it is easiest summed up by saying this is a story of three generations of women, that doesn't really get to the guts of the book. It covers Ireland, religion, family, education, New York, unplanned pregnancy, art, travel, womens rights, emigration, madness, AIDS, 9/11, Roe v Wade, Irish abortion vote - to pick out some of the themes.

The reader has to work as the generations use different names for the same cast of characters and individual stories are told from a variety of perspectives and timeframes. These are cross hatched with gaming episodes from their earliest incarnation. It is an impressive novel. Extraordinary.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for allowing me to read and review

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. I kept wanting it to get better, and it just didn’t. That whole “you” section was so hard to get through. Why a video game? I’m surprised I finished this.

[Chloe Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate when I can tell an author spent time on a novel, not just on the prose but on the plotting and editing. I think Airey handles the complexity of her narrative and the relationships between the characters well, producing a novel that appeals both to plot-driven and character-driven readers. I never got confused or bored by the narrative, and even when I felt a twinge of disappointment at a change in perspective I was always able to get invested again.

That said, I think Cora and Maire are undeniably the strongest characters, and my impression is that they were Airey’s favourites as well. She not only gives these two the most depth (though no character in Confessions is actually flat) she also devotes her best writing to these sections.

Overall, a promising debut and a refreshing opportunity to read a near-500 page book that earns its length.

[Abi Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very good! I love a well-crafted intergenerational story. Shoutout to Ben for recommending this because I “seem to vibe with mentally ill characters.” He is correct.