Blending philosophy with fiction, A Confession by William F. Aicher is a novel about free will, choices and consequences. In A Confession an unnamed main character is speaking directly to you, the reader, as he relates different stories from his past and asks you to judge him. These situations are often relatable enough - a marriage gone wrong and facing therapy and alcohol counseling after a violent outburst, for example - and peppered with philosophical questions throughout.

The main character frequently points out thoughts that many of us have had from time to time, and some perhaps even more extreme. These are merely thoughts and the character is quick to point out he would never do such a thing, but it's very honest and open. It presses how much free will people truly have, and it's interesting that one of his main tenets for life is that everyone have their own freedom. This is why rape is so bad in his mind, for example, …show more content…
Interestingly, along with freedom another of the points he repeats is that life is a curse. Not only is it a curse, he points out, it's a curse that is forced upon us, one we aren't free to accept or decline. What I really liked about all of this was how these opinions and beliefs were woven throughout his stories, used to explain how and why he did certain things. When he callously asked a religious woman about her beliefs until she ends up crying, for example, he truly believed he was doing a good thing. As the daughter of a preacher he felt those beliefs were forced on her early in life, and by questioning her and "breaking her down" she could rebuild herself with her own thoughts and opinions into something new. The fallacy of altruism is probably my favorite section, however, as it's both poignant and funny. He lists the best and worst methods for allowing others to see what a giving, great person you are, and he tackles the question of whether altruism is even possible very