True Confections: A Novel

by Katharine Weber

If you liked Candyfreak by Steve Almond, you’ll love True Confections.

Our story is told in the form of a deposition by Alice Tatnall Ziplinsky. She is a major player at Zip’s Candies, but it wasn’t always that way. Before she was Mrs. Howard Ziplinsky, she was Arson Girl. Arson Girl set fire to a neighbor’s house in New Haven. Arson Girl had no friends. Arson Girl was estranged from her parents.

But everything changed when Alice applied for a job at Zip’s. Sam Ziplinsky took her under his wing and encouraged the romance between Alice and his son, Howard. While working at Zip’s and marrying into the family, Alice learns the origins of Zip’s and their not-so-politically correct candies.

In her deposition, Alice tells the story of Zip’s, the Ziplinsky family and her own experiences with the company and its family. The Zip’s story is engrossing and ridiculous, and Alice is a sympathetic narrator, despite the oft implied unreliability of the former Arson Girl.

I really enjoyed this novel, especially the intricate plotting by the author. If you love candy, you’ll savor this sweet novel.

3/12/10