This opening chapter fantastically sets the scene for the eerie tale of teen violence that Eliza Clark gives us. Written as a non-fiction account of a murder in a small seaside town on the day of the Brexit vote, the journalistic framing device (including excerpts for wicked podcasts) tackles and satirises the true crime genre with biting wit. I was even more excited to read Penance after this engaging snippet!

A wonderful extract, it would be nice to have the full version made available to us. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Well played @netgalley Well played! I requested this one because I thought it was the WHOLE book and I was very excited to read it. I then realised, once approved, that it was actually only a 20 page PREVIEW of the book!! Argh! And so I read the 20 pages, and of course I now want to read the whole thing. I have been totally sucked in.

The 20 pages are the introduction and are from the POV of a Journalist who is writing a book on a gruesome true crime involving 4 teenage girls in a small seaside village. I'm not a fan of the horrible details, but I am super intrigued to find out why these girls did these things, and the writing of the story within the story is quite clever. I will be tracking this one down.

Eliza Clark proves yet again that she is a spectacular writing. A fantastic extract which has me immediately needing to read more

Disappointed this is only an extract because I can't WAIT to finish this one. Love everything about it so far! I thought I was over the murdered-girl/podcaster/true crime genre, but it turns out that I'm not. I'm itching to read the rest of this, in the meantime I'll pick up Boy Parts and give it a read. Clark is a voice I want to hear more from already.

Thanks so much for sharing this extract - will absolutely be buying a copy this weekend as a result of reading last night. I need to know what happens next!

Enjoyed the extract so much I purchased the book to read the full book. It also has peaked my interest in Clark's previous book Boy Parts.

This was immediately engaging and intriguing. I love novels that are told as if they are 'reportage' and this gave me instant 'True Crime Story' and 'Six Stories' vibes. This extract really takes you straight into the action with a disturbing account of the horrifying murder of Joan Wilson and the parts apparently played by Girl A, Girl B, and Girl C in her death.

Clark's direct prose style gives immediacy to the writing and I'm interested to see how the rest of the novel develops. It is clear from this extract that the socio-economic and political backdrop of the Brexit referendum will play a part in the story that unfolds, as will an exploration of 'true' crime as a genre.

Although it's hard to rate a relatively short excerpt from what is clearly a much longer and more complex novel, this definitely left me wanting to read more!

Managed to get my hands on a complete copy and it was a WILD ride. Teen tumblr culture circa 2014 was such a time to be alive and Clark really captured it. Also love the genre bending. Will order for our store!

Penance -Eliza Clark

This extract left me wanting to know how this story ends or begins in this case. Engaging, dark and gore , I’m sure this book will keep you on your toes. Definitely excited to see the novel published.

Thank you NetGalley for approving.

Thank you to Faber and Netgalley for this exclusive extract of Penance, the latest release from Eliza Clark.

All I'm seeing is great reviews for this books and upon reading this snippet I can see why! Right from the first page I was drawn in and I now need this book! The introduction to this story was dark and engaging, it had me needing to know what was going coming next.

This extract may have only been for the first chapter but it has definitely left it's mark on me! I can't wait to pick this up and devour it properly!

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

Even better than I expected – dark, twisted, and brilliantly written. I am so hooked and I'm so glad I only found this extract a few days before publishing because otherwise waiting for July 6th would have been agony!

I loved Boy Parts and recommend it all the time so I was so excited to have a sneak peak at Eliza Clark's second novel!

The snippet is so brilliantly paced and draws you into the plot so well. I can't wait for my copy to arrive in the post so that I can binge the whole thing!

I've been seeing this book everywhere so was so excited to read an extract of it!

Well it has me hooked and I'll be buying this one as soon as it comes out! I can't wait to read the full investigation into Joan's murder!

Loved how it is written as an author writing a true crime book about this case! Argh I don't think I can wait for it to come out, I need to read it now!!

so looking forward to reading Clark's full examination of true crime and complex familial dynamics in her second book

I was completely hooked from the first page of this! Eliza Clark is such an enthralling and sharp new voice in fiction and Penance seems to have kept all that original edge and then some. Looks like a seriously punchy follow-up to Boy Parts.

This extract made me eager to read the full novel. Excited to see the novel published. Thanks for approving!

GOSH.

I love this!

Absolutely here for books and media that put a spotlight on the true crime fascination and just how weird it is/can become. Add in a mixed media format, different narratives, and past/present timelines - *chefs kiss*.

Penance is a book very much set in the early 2010s and Clark knows what she is talking about - for a book that is so steeped in Tumblr culture it could have gone wrong, but I'm glad to say it hit the tone exactly.

A book about bullying, popularity, idolisation, radicalisation and being a teenage girl.

My words can't do it justice.

This will be one of my favourites of the year and I can't wait to talk about it (i.e. listen to people who can properly articulate their opinions on this) on release!

What a fine idea to share a small chapter to the potential audience, to get a glimpse of the story. Thank you Netgalley for the extract.

.Basically this is a huge teaser. Once you start reading it, you will not want to put it down. In the story you will witness a gruesome murder of a teenage girl, I mean very descriptive violent act, so it will not be for everyone.
The story flows smoothly and the time reading it flies by so fast. You also get the introduction to the main narrator, a writer who struggles with her career and starts to investigate this horrifying crime.
But more than that I can’t tell you, because extract ends before the real story begins.

This is definitely going to be a wild ride and a sleepless night. Netgalley, can I get the whole copy pretty please?🤗

Having not read Boy Parts, I wasn't sure what to expect from Penance. I requested this extract after hearing great things about the novel from those who had been lucky enough to read it already, and I am now very excited to get my hands on the full novel.

This is a dark and intriguing extract, with a firm sense of place. Clark plays about with the idea of the true crime genre and the concept of fiction, to create what seems to be a truly original and unique concept.

I'll definitely be checking out the full novel when this is released - this is an extract with a lot of promise.