*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of Penance on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Summary

After a horrific murder perpetrated by three teenage girls, journalist Alec Carelli goes to the English seaside town of Crow-on-Sea to investigate. As he interviews family, friends, and the three perpetrators, he uncovers layers of conflicting stories. Penance is Carelli’s book, told in a collection of interviews and speculative fiction on how the events might have transpired.

Review

What this novel does well is shine a light on the exploitative nature of true crime podcasts and books. At best tasteless and at worst exploitative and cruel, true crime entertainment has exploded in the last few years. Penance empathetically shows the emotional toll true-crime entertainment can have on the victims and family members.

In the past few years, the Internet has become rife with true crime stories and horror content. In the novel, this intersection is cyclical, as the perpetuator’s obsession with murder and true crime on Tumblr fuels the ensuing murder. And later, that murder is reported on by true crime podcasters and by Carelli. Social media is a sponge for true crime content, soaking up all and any tragedy it can find, no matter the truthfulness. This process is often objectifying, turning the real perpetrators and victims of these crimes into characters of a story, tailor-made for praise or ridicule.

Clark’s novel doesn’t offer a clear-cut solution, but rather points out how disrespectful and self-serving these narratives have become.

This is a book in a book, which illustrated the themes of this novel perfectly. When we watch true crime, it is easy to forget that what we hear is filtered through a narrator, who has their own biases, meaning we may never know the “truth.” While I read, I felt like a sleuth, trying to find the inconsistencies in each interview or biased wording from the author. The entire novel is impressive because Clark had to not only construct a narrative filled with a complex plot and characters with their own motives, but then feed that narrative through the unreliable narrator’s thoughts.

From the commentary on exploitative true-crime entertainment to the structure of the novel, another question this book raises is the nature of truth. Who gets believed? What stories get told, and by who?

Even though we are aware that the novel is an amalgamation of interviews and speculative fiction chapters, it is easy to take this as the truth. I was easily lulled into a false sense of security, until the last few pages, making me question my complacency in accepting the narrative at face value.

If you are not a fan of true crime, this might not be the best book for you. Penance deals with some heavy topics and includes graphic details of violence, so definitely look up trigger warnings for this book beforehand.

But despite the violence and cruelty, I couldn’t stop reading. I was sucked into the story because I was obsessed with sifting through the sentences to find some truth: what was fact, fiction, or warped truth to fit a character’s agenda.

While the writing and storyline were detailed and well-thought-out, I struggled with the violence and the cruelty. This is 100% my fault, as I did not do enough research on the book beforehand.

But ignoring my sensitivities, this is a well-written book with an engrossing web of lies to untangle. This is a great new pick for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and true crime.

Penance will be published on September 26, 2023.

Rating: 6.5/10

Add this book to your TBR list if:

• You are a fan of Eliza Clark’s writing

• You enjoy mysteries and untangling webs of lies and evidence

• You have become disillusioned with the boom of true crime content and want a well-written and succinct critique

• You can handle reading about dark and distressing topics