Book Review: The Confession by John Michael Alaia

A brutally brilliant debut novel

When tragedy strikes, you are left with a few different options. One is to wallow in pain and seek revenge, while the other is to find a way out of the dark pit that threatens to consume. In The Confession, the debut novel by John Michael Alaia, James Vertolli find a way to do both, and it is a thrill to follow his journey from beginning to end.

I really don’t want to give too much of the storyline away, other than to say that there are some brilliant moments of revenge in the vein of Death Wish, but also some stunning moments of self-reflection from the main character, making it clear that rage and love can live in the same less than perfect space.

The main character is fleshed out so well that while you want him to find peace, you also want him to continue on the path of making the world right in his eyes. The author performs a balancing act with James that is brilliantly vivid and real.

This is an easy 5-star read and is one that also comes with an amazing twist at the end. I am usually good at sniffing these out, but I did not see this one coming. Can’t wait to see what John Michael Alaia has for us next.