Review | The Confession by Jo Spain

When a stranger attacks Harry McNamara in his own home, his wife Julie is forced to relive her past and all the troubles that had plagued the couple. The stranger claims he does not recognise Harry and does not know why he committed the act. But is he telling the truth, or is this a part of his plan? And what role does Julie play in all this?

“That was us at the beginning of our fairytale. But here’s the thing about fairytales. Sometimes they’re darker than you can ever imagine.” 

The Confession is a very fast read that I got through in one sitting. The writing is punchy, and the chapters end in the usual thriller cliffhangers which makes you want to keep reading. However, the writing also hides a boatload of flashbacks and internal monologues, which means there is a lot of telling and not enough doing. The long descriptions of finance stuff (which is based on real life) is not interesting to me. The police investigation also fell short in that there is a missed opportunity in not bringing them further into the characters’ lives.

What I liked though are the characterisations. We spend time with Julie and the attacker, JP, and I felt that I got to know them well. Even though we don’t get Harry’s point of view, we learn about him through Julie’s eyes. There are enough twists to keep me guessing amidst the drama. All the messiness and flaws of people shown in ugly truth is why I kept turning the page. I couldn’t stand the characters, but I needed to see how it ends. An addictive read filled with complicated characters that asks difficult questions and makes you question the truth.

About the author: Jo Spain

Photo by Peter Mason