Revered interior designer David Kleinberg invites readers inside a selection of projects representing the height of sophistication, luxury, and refinement

'I was at a time in my life where I got to thinking more about people's choices - how everything would be different if just the slightest decision changed...' 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 Cora's 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.

Details

ISBN13: 9780241728079
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 480
Edition:
Publication Date: 28 Jan 2025
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 232(H)x153(L)x35(W)573
Weight (gm): 573

Author Biography

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

Reviews

A saga: its serious pleasures are its expansiveness and range, and Airey’s rare, particular instinct... a cool, bold image of female pain and liberation * Guardian *
An intricately woven epic, Confessions is both intimate and expansive, a novel that teems with raw, hungry life -- Colin Walsh, author of KALA
I was mesmerized from the very first pages of Catherine Airey's startling debut, Confessions. The story of Maire and Roisin, two Irish sisters living an ocean apart, proceeds with an almost hypnotic power and grace - it has the certainty of fable and the true originality of a powerful new voice in fiction. -- Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST ROMANTICS
Propulsive and utterly captivating … Airey has shades of the American novelists Donna Tartt and Jeffrey Eugenides in her style * Irish Times *
The beautifully written narrative goes on to reveal the secrets of three generations of women. It’s an epic family saga involving a host of mysteries and I galloped to the end. I loved it. * Daily Mail *
The narrative zips along with the crackling intelligence of Donna Tartt, full of twists and zips, and genuine surprises... Confessions is an astonishing and remarkable novel, and truly deserving of all the accolades coming its way * Irish Independent *
An ambitious debut * Sunday Times, Books to look forward to in 2025 *
Confessions certainly hails the arrival of a new literary talent. She has a beautiful turn of phrase, enormous compassion for her characters and is not afraid to dig into themes both big and small – of legacy and belonging, mental illness, bodily autonomy and the long, messy tail of grief in all its forms… Confessions really excels. * iPaper *
Three generations’ worth of secrets unravel in this magnificent debut * iPaper, Books to read in 2025 *
This ambitious novel, the subject of a fierce bidding war, is sure to show up on award shortlists * RED *