THE CONFESSION

★★★★ by Jessie Burton Picador, £16.99

WHEN a writer’s first two novels are as successful as The Miniaturist and The Muse, the odds are pretty high that a third will also be a winner.And the good news is The Confession is Burton’s best yet.

It’s a wonderful five-course meal of a book.There is no unnecessary amuse-bouche of lengthy descriptions and literary frippery, it’s just bang, straight into the story as we meet 28-year-old café worker Elise Marceau on a blind date on Hampstead Heath. Here she encounters successful novelist Constance Holden and immediately falls under her spell.

It’s 1980 and Connie is about to leave for Hollywood where her novel is being made into a movie.

And as quickly as we meet the two characters, they fast-track their relationship with a new life together in Los Angeles. In chapter two, we leap forward to 2017 where café worker Rose Simmons is reflecting on her motherless childhood and recalling the excuses she used to concoct for her mother’s absence. We hear about Rose’s father, his love of the sea and how he’d always tried to be both father and mother to his daughter. Then there’s Rose’s unsteady relationship with her long-term boyfriend Joe and the general consensus of opinion among family and friends that Rose and Joe should, at the very least, be talking about having a baby.

But there’s the sticking point.

Until Rose can get to the bottom of why her mother disappeared out of her life, she can’t move on. Back in 1980, Elise and Connie are building their new life together.

But the glamorous facade of parties and success doesn’t sit well with Elise who questions not only their relationship but her role as a woman.

Then in Rose’s story, we learn that her mother once had a relationship with a successful author called Constance Holden.

It’s here that the novel rather clunkily contrives to move the story on as Rose gets a job as Connie’s live-in assistant.

To disguise her identity, Rose calls herself Louise and creates a new backstory while she endeavours to find out the truth about her mother.

As the various stories unfold, the relationship between Rose/ Louise and Constance becomes more complex, as Rose unpicks her own identity and purpose in life, questioning her attitude towards the ideas and ideals of traditional motherhood.

As different again as The Miniaturist was toThe Muse,The Confession underlines the fact that Jessie Burton is a terrifically skilled storyteller.

Meaty and multi-layered, this novel is what cosy autumnal days were made for.