Confessions: A Book of Tales

by Loren Edizel

Why do we keep secrets and why do we confess them? The nine tales in this collection, all told in the first person, are each spun around a well-kept secret, willingly or inadvertently confessed. Sometimes the secrets are at the core of the narrator's life, other times they appear tangential. Regardless of the magnitude of its burden, the confession finds its way to the reader, through a story told perhaps over a cup of tea, in the pages of a journal or within the intimacy of the narrator's mind. Would stories mean as much to us if they did not remind us of our own secrets and regrets, our stolen moments, our ecstatic failures and sad joys? The stories are confessions of intimate events or desires: marital infidelities, betrayal of friendship, crimes including murderous thoughts and actual acts of murder as well as the painful words of those who consider themselves superior directed at those of lesser financial means who perform necessary tasks for them. The narrators are women and men. They all remain active in their own lives dealing with what has been dealt to them. Most of the stories are set outside of North America, particularly in Turkey, so they have a fresh cultural aspect at the same time as they convey the commonality of human greed, betrayal and heartbreak. The author keeps a dark current running through the stories while at the same time relaying the ordinary, even a matter-of-factness, sometimes with a touch of humour or self-conscious irony. The reader is compelled to find out how a situation is resolved. Sometimes the results are tragic. Other times the events become an undercurrent or a road not taken in what is otherwise a satisfying life.

Genres: Short Stories

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2014

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title may seem bland but it's perfect: these are nine first-person stories of a confession of deeds or feelings or of secrets revealed. Settings are either in Turkey or in Canada. I recommend this collection highly; the author's vignettes have deftly described certain characters and situations in which they find themselves. These tales are vivid and psychologically incisive.

Quality does vary as in any collection of stories or poetry, but these are the ones I thought stood out:

The conch: A Turkish wife in the 1940s and her secret life.

Small gift: a Turkish street sweeper.

The whisper: a jinn and a neighbor who has done a great wrong to a Greek forced to leave Anatolia and to go to Greece. My favorite of the collection. I feel this story will be a classic one day.

Hôtel de la Paix: Angelique, an orphan girl raised by nuns.

Burgundy Wine: a wife preparing Beef Stroganoff

I received this from First-Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[David Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of Confessions from a goodreads giveaway. Confessions is a collection of short stories that explore deeply guarded secrets that people carry. The brief narratives are personal and touching. From this short collection (110 pages), I am certain I want to read more works by Loren Edizel. I will pass this book on!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads Giveaways. All in all, I thought it was pretty good. I usually don't read short stories, but most of these were very quick to engage my interest and an easy, quick read, even if some of the stories are a little dark.