It\u2019s my absolute pleasure today to welcome debut author C<\/span>atherine Airey to Linda\u2019s Book Bag<\/em> to celebrate her brand new novel which is out today. My huge thanks to Marie-Louise Patton and Laura Dermody at Penguin Random House for putting us in touch with one another.<\/span><\/p>\n Welcome to Linda\u2019s Book Bag <\/i>Catherine and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.\u00a0Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Hi Linda. I\u2019ve brought along my first novel, <\/span>Confessions<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n I understand that Confessions<\/em> is out today Catherine so happy publication day! I also hear that it is absolutely fantastic so congratulations. Tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with Confessions<\/em>?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n There are multiple female perspectives in <\/span>Confessions<\/strong> (and one male one). As the title suggests, these characters each have their secrets, things they are ashamed of, and Irish Catholicism is a thread throughout the novel. These characters\u2019 stories brush up against real-world events and issues \u2013 from 9\/11 to the legalisation of abortion in Ireland in 2018. So there\u2019s lots of intrigue. <\/span><\/p>\n So would you call Confessions<\/em> historical?<\/strong><\/p>\n In some ways, it\u2019s a historical novel, but with a focus on what it means to be young and not feel in control of your own story, which I\u2019d argue is pretty universal.<\/span><\/p>\n I think you\u2019re absolutely right \u2013 though I might add that getting older doesn\u2019t always make one feel any more in control.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve brought along a Twix bar, which appears a few times in the\u00a0 novel, almost like an easter egg. <\/span><\/p>\n Anyone who brings chocolate is always welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d also like to listen to the album \u2018Mistaken Identity\u2019 by Kim Carnes, which came out from 1981. The song \u2018Bette Davis Eyes\u2019 is featured in the book. It was also the song I listened to right after I\u2019d finished the first draft of <\/span>Confessions<\/strong>. I\u2019ll also share the chorus lyrics to \u2018Hit and Run\u2019, which I love as a piece of poetry:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> Love will tear and do you in<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> Turn you inside out and when<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> All you got is less than dim<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> You know, you\u2019re grabbing at straws<\/span><\/p>\n What perfect accompaniments to both Confessions<\/em> and publication day. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about the book Catherine. I\u2019m thrilled to have a copy waiting for me on my TBR! You put the album on and I\u2019ll give readers a few more details about Confessions<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018I was at a time in my life where I got to thinking more about people\u2019s choices \u2013 how everything would be different if just the slightest decision changed\u2026\u2019<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady\u2019s 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\u2019s family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n An essential, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, <\/span>Confessions<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Published today, 23rd January 2025, by Penguin imprint Viking, Confessions<\/em><\/strong> is available for purchase through the publisher links here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Catherine Airey grew up in England in a family of mixed English-Irish descent, and now lives in Bristol. Confessions<\/strong> is her first novel. Confessions<\/strong> was acquired in a twenty-four hour, six figure pre-empt in the UK and a hotly contested six-figure auction in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n For further information, follow Catherine on Twitter\/X @catherineairey <\/a><\/span>and find her on Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lindasbookbag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/confessions.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStaying in with C<\/span>atherine Airey<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span> And you\u2019d do it again<\/span><\/p>\nConfessions<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nAbout Catherine Airey<\/span><\/h3>\n
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