The Confession

The Confession Synopsis

A Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Bookclub pick, The Confession is an absorbing tale of secrets and self-discovery from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse.

When Elise Morceau meets the writer Constance Holden, she quickly falls under her spell. Connie is sophisticated, bold and alluring - everything Elise feels she is not. She follows Connie to LA, but in this city of strange dreams and razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.

Three decades later, Rose Simmons is trying to uncover the story of her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was a now reclusive novelist, Rose finds herself at the door of Constance Holden's house in search of a confession . . .

The Confession Press Reviews

Dazzlingly good . . . Without doubt one of the best novels of recent years -- Elizabeth Day, author of The Party and How to Fail

A bold, intelligent, wonderful novel -- Sarah Winman, author of Tin Man

A beautiful novel and one that will stay with me for a very long time -- Louise O'Neill, author of Only Ever Yours

Burton writes perceptively about female identity and creativity . . . stunning - Red

Her best yet, I'm dazzled by it . . . I am deeply jealous of every reader who has it all ahead of them -- Daisy Buchanan, author of The Sisterhood

An absorbing tale of self-discovery - Woman & Home

An irresistible tale of families, deception and the consequences of our choices -- Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars A masterpiece about the autonomy of women and their roles in society - Irish Tatler

An absorbing, intelligent piece of storytelling that succeeds in sustaining its mystery to the end - Observer

Stylish and riveting, Burton's latest is every bit as gripping as The Miniaturist, the debut that made her name - Vogue

The story of the intoxicating relationship between two women, and its fallout - Sunday Times Culture

In The Confession, Jessie Burton hasn't just captured a myriad of women's experiences but also the intrinsic ambivalence of living in a female body: the advantages, the oppressions. She's built a world of women that is so vivid and absorbing that at one point I paused in my reading to google Connie - and only then remembered that she was a fictional character -- Jean Hannah Edelstein, author of This Really Isn't About You The story of three women: Elise, Constance and Rose, who are united by love, rejection and self-understanding. What elevates the story is Burton's writing - like in The Miniaturist and The Muse - this is a book that'll sweep you along and make you reflect on your own choices in life - Stylist

I loved Burton's debut, The Miniaturist, but this is even better! Rose's mother disappeared when she was a baby, and the last person to see her was Constance, a reclusive novelist based in Hampstead. When Rose tracks her down, will she get the answers she needs? I was completely engrossed -- Nina Pottell, Prima The Miniaturist author channels her talent for complex characters and absorbing mysteries into a new story about the connection between three women - Culture Whisper

A powerful and deeply moving novel about secrets and storytelling, motherhood and friendship, and how we lose and find ourselves - Sheerluxe

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All versions of this book

ISBN: 9781509886197
Publication date: 03/09/2020
Publisher: Picador an imprint of Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback

Book Information

About Jessie Burton

Jessie Burton was born in 1982. She studied at Oxford University and the Central School of Speech and Drama, and has worked as an actress and a PA in the City. She now lives in south-east London, not far from where she grew up.

More Books By Jessie Burton