The Confessions of Isaac (Izakove ispovijesti)

The Confessions of Isaac gives the second patriarch a voice in a narrative divided into seven books. Speaking to God, Isaac revisits his place between Abraham, the father who received the promise, and the sons who will inherit its consequences. The form draws on the tradition of Augustine’s Confessions.

The memory of the altar on Moriah runs through a life that also includes love for Rebekah, the birth of their twins and the conflict over the paternal blessing. The novel brings family loyalties, loss and self-examination into a story whose central figure is often less heard than Abraham or Jacob.

The introductory essay, “Of Course, Confessions”, explores that silence in the biblical account and turns to rabbinic traditions, including interpretations of Isaac’s blindness. It also introduces the literary device of a discovered manuscript. The closing appendix explains terms and references used in the novel.