Confessions

Secrets and unplanned pregnancies shape the lives of two generations of women in Airey’s bold and intricate debut. Cora Brady, 16, is orphaned when her father, Michael, dies in the 9/11 attacks. She spends weeks in a daze in New York City until she receives a letter from her aunt Róisín, the younger sister of her late mother, Máire, offering to take care of her in rural Donegal, Ireland. There, Cora learns she’s pregnant. The narrative then flashes back to Róisín and Máire’s teen years in 1970s Ireland, where Máire works as an artist for an ecofeminist group in their village. The group connects Máire with an opportunity to study at NYU, but her first semester is derailed after she visits her roommate Franny’s family in Minnesota, where Franny’s father rapes and impregnates her. Back in Ireland, Máire’s boyfriend, Michael, begins sleeping with Róisín. When he learns what’s happened to Máire, he moves to New York to be with her, unaware that Róisín is now pregnant with his child. A final section in 2018 follows Cora’s daughter, Lyca, as she pieces together her family’s messy history, including what happened to Máire, while Cora travels the world advocating for reproductive rights. Airey crafts a sharp psychological sketch of each woman as they contend with their parallel crises, adding nuance and depth without shying away from making a strong statement for reproductive rights. Readers will be eager to see what Airey does next. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, CAA. (Jan.)