Friendship

From the opening pages, Elizabeth Berg establishes the idea of friendship as the cornerstone of the novel's thematic foundation. By beginning the novel with Joanie and Gretchen, who have "been friends since they were both in their high school's production of South Pacific" (5) 50 years earlier, Berg goes on to posit the eventual origins of Confession Club as evolving out of the friendly relationships existing between the women of Iris' baking classes. The restorative value of the communal disclosure and empathy represented by the club, that will be illustrated throughout the novel, is predicated on the idea of growing "comfortable with one another...sharing things they'd done wrong" (9), which brings the group closer together and attracts newer friends Iris and Maddy as members.

Through the group's loving, candid support and encouragement, Maddy is able to find some relief from her emotional burdens, which reconnects her to Mason...