Confessions Of An Honest Man

by Arthur Rosch

This novel has won Writer's Digest Honorable Mention. In spite of its dark subject matter "Confessions Of An Honest Man" is written with warmth and wit. This is a story about family dysfunction, .psychotherapy, jazz, addiction, and The Afghan War. This gripping tale of the secret life of a suburban family is an original literary achievement.

The narrative explores a fifty year slice of life through the eyes of the Kantro family. The story tells a tale of childhood abuse yet it always leads the reader towards humor and tenderness. It explores the price paid by children who suffer from parental violence. Along the way we pass through high school in the 60's, The Summer Of Love, meet Jimi Hendrix, fight in the Soviet Afghan War and make the arduous journey from addiction to recovery. "Confessions Of An Honest Man" is a psychological book. It observes in minute and honest detail the quirks of human nature. It amuses and horrifies. It always surprises.

Father Max, mother Esther and the four children are portrayed credibly and with deep inner logic. Youngest son Mark is a mediocre martial artist, weapons collector and sociopath. Though he is outwardly charming, his father knows that beneath the glib smile lurks the possibility of violence. Mari-lee is a climber, looking to marry the wealthiest man she can snare. Sarah and Aaron seek refuge in creativity. They are damaged souls but as they respond to their wounds we see how they make moral choices that influence their destinies.

While working in music, Aaron meets his mentor, a famous jazz musician named Zoot Prestige. The saxophonist demonstrates an approach to living, a funny, flexible world view that helps Aaron in his time of deepest crisis. Zoot defines the nature of Evil in a few pithy sentences. What is Disease and what is Evil? Zoot knows the difference. When Aaron loses his way and suffers his dark night of the soul he remembers his teacher's "ask for help. Don't be too proud. You can't do it alone. Ask for help".

This book is a coming-of-age adventure novel that looks "under the hood" into human beings' deepest motivations. There is so much here with which to identify! The Kantros may not be ordinary people but they aren't difficult to understand. They want to live, to love, to thrive. Why is that so difficult? These are some of the questions that are explored in "Confessions Of An Honest Man."

Genres: Fiction

619 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2018

About the author

A Midwesterner by birth, Arthur Rosch migrated to the West Coast just in time to be a hippie but discovered that he was more connected to the Beatnik generation. He hearkened back to an Old School world of Coltrane, jazz, poetry, painting and photography. In 1979 he received Playboy Magazine's Best Short Story Award for a comic view of a planet where there are six genders. The timing was not good. His life was falling apart as he struggled with addiction and depression. He experienced the reality of the streets for more than a decade. Putting himself back together was the defining experience of his life. It wasn't easy. It did, however, nurture his creative soul. His photography has won Honorable Mention from the United Nations and has been published in Shutterbug, Popular Photography, eDigital Photo and many online sites. He has written novels, memoirs, poems, humorous fake emails, and commercials for ridiculous non existent products. He has a passion for photography, astronomy, history, psychology and the weird puzzle of human experience . His partner is an artist, herbalist and animal whisperer. Her powers are impressive and very real. She also suffers from Fibromyalgia This has led Arthur to become a Seniors Peer Counselor who works with others suffering from chronic pain and depression. Come visit his blogs and photo sites. www.artrosch.com and www.flickr.com/photos/156934441@N07/

Reviews

[Hartley J]

What a remarkable story! Thought-provoking, emotionally rich, and beautifully layered, with characters that stay with you. A fascinating and memorable read from beginning to end.

[Helen]

An engaging and unforgettable story filled with heart, complexity, and surprising moments. I especially enjoyed the psychological depth and richly developed characters. Highly recommended

[Juliana]

A compelling story about family, struggle, healing, and the search for meaning. The writing is warm, honest, and full of insight. A wonderful 5-star experience

[Mirabel]

Powerful, honest, and thought-provoking. The characters feel incredibly real, and the story explores family, addiction, recovery, and resilience with great emotional depth. Definitely a 5-star read

[williams joseph]

Just finished Confessions of an Honest Man — what a powerful read. Honest, raw, and impossible to put down. I loved it.

[Logan Stripling]

This book surprised me in the best way. Confessions of an Honest Man feels like a conversation with someone who isn’t afraid to tell the truth. I loved it.

[Terry Gross]

Just finished Confessions of an Honest Man and I already want to read it again. It’s raw, reflective, and beautifully told. Highly recommended.

[Alausa Basit]

This book surprised me in the best way. Confessions of an Honest Man feels like a conversation with someone who isn’t afraid to tell the truth. I loved it.

[Jovia Studio]

his book hit me harder than I expected. The narrator’s honesty made every page feel real. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

[elizabeth]

Honest, emotional, and beautifully written, Confessions of an Honest Man is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

[Steve Stripling]

Confessions of an Honest Man is honest, deeply emotional, and beautifully written. It’s a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

[PROF RAFAPA]

A beautifully written, deeply emotional, and honest book—Confessions of an Honest Man will be on my mind for a long time.

[Alexander L]

Confessions Of An Honest Man is an unusually ambitious story that brings together family, addiction, psychotherapy, music, trauma, and the difficult process of finding a way forward. What impressed me most is the balance between painful subject matter and moments of warmth and humor. The Kantro family feels complicated and deeply human, and the characters' choices make the story especially engaging. This is the kind of novel that stays with you because it raises difficult questions about family, morality, healing, and what it really means to understand another person.

[Claire]

What I found most compelling about this novel is its sense of journey. The characters move through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, personal crises, addiction, relationships, and attempts at recovery. Their experiences aren't presented as simple lessons with easy answers. Instead, the story allows the characters to struggle with difficult choices and live with the consequences. The emphasis on asking for help and recognizing that people cannot always overcome their darkest moments alone was particularly meaningful.

[Lauren]

This book surprised me with how many different emotions it could create. There are disturbing moments involving family dysfunction and violence, but they exist alongside humor, tenderness, music, and moments of genuine insight. The story examines how experiences from childhood can follow people into adulthood and influence the decisions they make. I found the psychological depth especially interesting. Confessions Of An Honest Man is not simply a story about what happens to a family; it is also an exploration of how people respond to what happens to them

[Juliette F]

The musical elements add something special to this story. Aaron's relationship with jazz and his mentor, Zoot Prestige, gives the novel another way to explore creativity, philosophy, and survival. I especially enjoyed the idea that music can become more than a profession it can become a way of understanding life. Combined with the complicated family dynamics, this gives the novel a distinctive personality. It is dark in places, funny in others, and ultimately very interested in human resilience.

[Lydia]

Confessions Of An Honest Man is an ambitious and unconventional novel that explores the complicated ways people try to survive, understand themselves, and find their way forward. The Kantro family's story covers decades and touches on subjects ranging from childhood and family dysfunction to addiction, music, war, psychotherapy, and recovery. What makes it stand out is the combination of psychological insight, humor, darkness, and humanity. Readers looking for a thoughtful story with complex characters and plenty to reflect on will find a lot here.

[Ava M]

The characters are the heart of this novel. Each member of the Kantro family carries their own wounds, ambitions, weaknesses, and ways of coping with life. I particularly appreciated how the story explores the consequences of childhood experiences without reducing the characters to their trauma. There is darkness here, but also tenderness, humor, creativity, and the possibility of recovery. Arthur Rosch creates characters who are far from perfect but remarkably human.

[Chandra]

There is a lot going on in Confessions Of An Honest Man, but that is part of what makes it memorable. Family relationships, addiction, psychotherapy, jazz, war, creativity, and recovery all become pieces of a much larger examination of human nature. The novel has an interesting combination of seriousness and wit, and its characters are presented with enough complexity to keep you thinking about them after the story moves on. It is an ambitious literary work with plenty to discuss and reflect on

[Nora]

This is a fascinating psychological novel because it doesn't treat human behavior as simple or predictable. The Kantro family members all respond differently to their circumstances, and the story explores how personality, upbringing, environment, and personal choices can interact. The examination of the boundary between mental illness and destructive behavior adds another layer of complexity. I appreciated that the book doesn't offer easy answers. Instead, it encourages the reader to think.

[Clara]

One of the things I enjoyed about Confessions Of An Honest Man is how difficult it is to put the story into a single category. It combines family drama, psychological fiction, coming-of-age elements, music, addiction, war, and recovery. That combination gives the novel an unpredictable quality. Just when you think you understand where the story is going, another aspect of the characters or their lives comes into focus. It is an unconventional and memorable read.

[Elena]

Despite the difficult subjects explored in this novel, there is a surprising amount of warmth beneath the darkness. The characters experience dysfunction, violence, addiction, and emotional pain, yet the story continues to look for humor, tenderness, creativity, and hope. That balance makes the darker material more meaningful rather than simply depressing. I came away thinking about how complicated families can be and how differently people respond to the wounds they carry.

[Adrian]

A beautifully written and deeply human story. I loved the emotional depth, memorable characters, and the way the book balances difficult subjects with warmth and humor. A truly memorable read!