Summary of Confessions
In “Confessions”, the protagonist Adrià Ardèvol attempts to recount the story of his life to his former lover, Sara. The novel begins with Adrià’s childhood in his parents’ apartment in Barcelona’s Eixample district and his friendship with Bernat, whom he meets through violin lessons. Adrià is fascinated by his father’s valuable violin but is forbidden to play it. As he grows older, he uncovers the instrument’s dark history. His father acquired the violin under dubious circumstances in the aftermath of the Holocaust, and Adrià comes to realise that the violin has been linked to violence, betrayal, and murder. By the end of his life, he regrets the role it played in the loss of Sara, the love of his life.
Reasons to read Confessions
“Confessions” is a captivating, intellectually ambitious, bestselling novel that explores the nature of evil throughout history. At the same time, it is a moving portrait of friendship — particularly the bond between Adrià and Bernat — and of Adrià’s love story with Sara. With more than 600 pages, many subplots and shifts across different centuries, and an unreliable narrator struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, it is both a demanding and rewarding read. The novel won the Premi de la Crítica de narrativa catalana in 2012. Jaume Cabré is one of the most celebrated contemporary Catalan writers and was awarded the Premi d’Honor de les Lletres Catalanes in 2010.
Setting: Barcelona (Spain)
Book set in Spain: Barcelona (flat in the Eixample; shop in the Barri Gòtic) and Sant Pere del Burgal (as well as Rome, Paris and other locations across Europe).
Original title: Jo confesso
Year of publication: 2011
Nr of pages: 672
