I Confess

Name: I Confess
ISBN: 9787559800589

乔莫·卡夫雷 / 邱美兰Guangxi Normal University Press · ChinaDec 2021

4.2

Word count: 421K words
Chapters: 9
ISBN: 9787559800589

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Summary

Adrià's father deals in antiques, secretive when out and about, and at home shuts himself in his study all day to pore over his treasures. The study, brimming with rare curios, is where Adrià eavesdrops on the family's secrets, and what draws him most is an eighteenth-century Storioni violin. He secretly lends the priceless instrument to a friend, only to receive the devastating news that his father has died in an accident, his body severed from its head. As time passes, the truth slowly seeps out of the study, and Adrià's story unfurls like a long scroll. Built around the memories of Adrià's life, the novel flashes back and forth across centuries of European history: Cremona, the great violin-making city of Italy; the Spanish Inquisition; Rome around the First World War; monasteries across Europe; the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps; Barcelona in different eras… What remains constant is guilt, redemption, revenge, love, and solitude.

Editor's review

This is a novel spanning centuries of European history, centered on a family secret. An eighteenth-century Storioni violin is both a precious antique and a clue to guilt and redemption, drawing out the secrets behind the antique trade, the shadow of the Inquisition, the trauma of war and concentration camps, and generations of love and loneliness in Barcelona. The author interweaves memory and flashback so that the truth seeps out slowly, as if from the cracks of a study; reading requires patience in following the jumps in the timeline. The value of this book lies not in the thrill of solving a mystery but in how it makes sin, redemption, and revenge echo repeatedly through the family bloodline, asking whether a person can truly inherit and settle accounts with the past of their forebears. It suits readers willing to invest in a long work and who enjoy history intertwined with psychological depth; immersive reading over continuous stretches works better than fragmented dipping.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of long novels who enjoy family sagas and multi-temporal narratives
Readers interested in European history, the Inquisition, and World War II themes
Literary readers who prefer psychological depth and themes of sin and redemption and are not in a hurry
Enthusiasts of classical music and antiques who can find pleasure in details

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment and fast-paced plots
Readers who easily get confused by multi-timeline jumps and need a linear story
Readers sensitive to depictions of violence, death, and historical trauma
Readers with fragmented time who find it hard to read a long novel continuously

Reading tips

Prepare a brief chart of characters and timeline, noting as you read, to reduce confusion caused by flashbacks.
Read continuously by chapter, finishing at least one complete time period each session, and avoid frequent interruptions.
When encountering passages with unfamiliar historical background, note the keywords first and look them up after finishing, so as not to interrupt the narrative rhythm.
After finishing, revisit the opening passage about the study; you will find many foreshadowings and echoes.

About the publisher

Guangxi Normal University Press China · Founded in 1986

Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
第一章起首
第二章始于童稚
第三章于阿卡迪亚吾亦常在
第四章古名家手稿
第五章建构的人生
第六章圣母悼歌
第七章 ……至尾
人物表

FAQ

Do I need to know European history beforehand to read this book?

Systematic prior study is not necessary, but the book involves backgrounds such as the Inquisition, World War I, and concentration camps; if these are completely unfamiliar, understanding some passages will suffer. It is advisable to jot down unfamiliar historical terms while reading and look them up afterward; the novel itself advances through characters' memories, and history serves as atmosphere and causality, not hindering following the main thread.

The narrative timeline jumps; what if I get confused?

This is a narrative feature of the book. You can keep a sheet of paper and note the year, place, and narrator at each time switch; after a few dozen pages the thread will gradually become clear. If it still feels difficult, try marking separately the two categories of "Adria's present" and "historical flashbacks," grasping the main thread first and then returning to fill in details.

Is the violin merely a prop in the book?

More than that. This eighteenth-century Storioni violin links the antique trade, family secrets, and historical trauma; it is the core object that drives the plot and carries symbolic meaning. It is both a priceless asset and a force affecting trust, betrayal, and atonement among the characters; while reading, note how its meaning changes when it appears in different periods.

Is it suitable as a book club selection?

Yes. The book offers room for discussion on themes such as whether sin can be inherited, whether redemption is possible, and the impact of family secrets on descendants; the multi-temporal narrative also makes it easy for members to enter from different characters' perspectives. It is suggested that the book club discuss it in two or three sessions: the first to clarify the timeline and characters, the second to focus on themes and symbols.

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About the author

乔莫·卡夫雷 Author

Jomo Cabré is a writer about whom little public information is available. What is known is that two of his works have been translated for Chinese readers: I Confess and The Voice of the River. In book classifications, these two titles are often placed under classic works and foreign literature, suggesting that his writing may combine the qualities of literary classics with an outside narrative perspective. Since details of his life, nationality, and period of creation remain unclear, no inferences are made here. Judging only from the works themselves, Cabré seems to prefer long-form narratives that carry the weight of his characters' fates and emotions, and the titles themselves evoke introspection and natural imagery. For readers interested in contemporary foreign literature, these two works can serve as an entry point into his storytelling; a fuller picture of his creative development and literary standing still awaits more public information.

邱美兰 Author · Chinese

Qiu Meilan is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available. What can be confirmed so far is that one work appears under her name, I Confess, which is often classified as a classic work. This single title is not enough to provide a full picture of her life or her writing career; her dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing history are not clearly recorded. Judging from the existing information, the title I Confess carries a tone of self-examination and confession, suggesting that the work may center on personal inner life, moral reflection, or emotional experience, and that its narration may emphasize subjective expression and spiritual questioning. Such themes often move readers through sincerity of voice and delicate psychological portrayal rather than through elaborate plotting. Since only one work is held in the collection, her writing style and later development cannot be systematically assessed. Readers may take this work as an entry point, consider it alongside the original text, and keep a careful yet open interest in the author.