The Confession

The Richard and Judy Book Club pick, a moving tale of secrets and self-discovery set in 1980s Hollywood and modern London

By: Jessie Burton

Narrated by: Hayley Atwell

A Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick.

The Confession is an absorbing tale of secrets and self-discovery and the search for truth spanning three decades, from 1980s Hollywood to present-day London. 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 1980s razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.

Three decades later in London, 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 . . .

'Dazzlingly good . . . Without doubt one of the best novels of recent years' - Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie

Critic 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

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

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

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

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

The story of the intoxicating relationship between two women, and its fallout

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

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

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

Intriguing

I truly enjoyed how you get to understand Connie as who she is now before understanding who she was then. It just shows that people really do change over the years and one cannot judge others by who they were in the past. Her character was my favourite.

I am not a mother but I can see how mothers would understand more the emotions that all of the women go through.

Worth the listen.

Brilliant!

Amazing story! This book is such a page turner, so profound, gripping and humane. Also, Hayley Atwell's narration is flawless.

This book is incredible!

I love Jessie Burton’s writing and this is my favourite of her books. She just keeps getting better and better. This book made me ache. It made me cry. It made me think. It made me see things in myself I hadn’t seen before. And it’s read so beautifully by Hayley Atwell, too. Simply incredible.