★★★★.25/ 5

wow, my second consecutive book about a gruesome murder that occurs in a small town in britain. this one was vastly more tolerable for me, though…

it was a hard read at times, not because it was terribly written, but because it was so steeped in reality. clark really gets her references, internet jargon, and teenage relationship dynamics down to a T. her ability to write from different character perspectives and craft authentic thoughts and motives, as well, was astonishing. this believability combined with an eerie story about both a school shooting and the targeted murder of joni wilson made everything especially haunting, because i knew, despite this specific story being fiction, that this was a very real experience for others.

i’ve been trying to read more books that make you question the society around you, and this book does it WELL. clark urges introspection about our role in the true crime "hype" and our fascination with such gruesome stories. she also emphasize how the troubling overlap between internet fandoms and murderers has erupted in recent years. in fact, this book made me recall seeing a flowery edit of an american school shooter on instagram a couple years back where netizens were throwing “thirsty” comments at him, saying that they would “let him do anything to them” simply because he was conventionally attractive. it was shocking and again, made me realize how real and concerning the contents of this book were.

the unreliable narrator was another one of my favorite aspects of the story. it was introduced early on in the book, and i loved that, as the story unfolded, you come to see just how problematic and dangerous his true motives and intentions are. he purposefully ignores the trauma and abuse these teenagers have endured, blatantly disregards the "female experience" while crafting his story, and instead portrays them merely as unhinged girls gradually becoming obsessed with the occult due to the internet. the journalist, alec carelli, is clark’s golden representation of both rampant sexism and the tendency among older adults to ascribe the perceived "shortcomings" of successive generations to our supposed "dependence" on the internet. carelli also seems to embodies capitalism in literature (i may be reaching here), as authors are expected to capitalize on shock-value and attention-grabbing material nowadays; he finds a deeply traumatic story, milks it for all the gritty content, and cherry-picks only the most egregious parts, because well, talking about women’s experience with abuse isn’t as lucrative apparently 🙄.

i only wish that the timeline changes, as well as the points in which the perspectives changed, were more obvious. at times, the timeline and perspective switches were so jarring that i had to flip back a couple pages to confirm that i had not skipped an entire chapter, which messed with the flow of the book a little.

overall, this was a great book to get out of my middling reads lull. every character, every plotline has a purpose, and nothing is put in purely for shock factor or plot movement. plus, i’m not much of a true-crime nut nor do i frequent tumblr much, so i really appreciated all that i learned from the book’s well-researched plot and commentary. 😊

thank you netgalley and harpercollins for a copy of this arc!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was an interesting premise! It felt like it staggered in certain spots, just in terms of pacing and momentum, and certain chapters didn't feel necessary to the general premise of the story. All in all an interesting direction, could just use a little more oomph in the delivery.

Following the success of her debut novel Boy Parts, comes Penance, a disturbing read about teenage murders in a small coastal town.

On a summer night, Sixteen-year-old Joni is brutally murdered by three of her classmates. Despite the brutal nature of the crime, the news doesn’t catch widespread attention. That is until disgraced journalist Alec Carelli writes a book about the crime and the girls behind it.

This is a book within a book. What readers are reading is Alec’s book. Through interviews, extensive research, and correspondence from the murders, Alec builds a narrative of what led up to the murder.

Penance is more than just a book about a gruesome killing. At the core of the story, is a story about the intensity and destruction of female friendships and isolation. All three murderers are outcasts, but still somewhat average teenagers. It also points a critical eye at the true crime community. Readers are taken into the dark world of true crime fandoms, most notably the ones on Tumblr where teenagers worship serial killers and mass murders. However, Eliza also questions those who make true crime media. Where’s the line between reporting and exploiting? How much focus should a murderer get in a story? What ethics go into true crime media? Even Alec isn’t safe from this criticism, as readers learn he might not be as reliable as he claims.

This was an unsettling and uncomfortable read, which I’m sure was the intention. This reminded me a bit of Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman or a Meg Abbott book. Eliza does a great job taking readers into the minds of dark and twisted teen girls. I also liked the idea of this being a book within a book. I know this has been done before, but I haven’t read many books like this. I think it was an interesting twist that helped the book be more appealing.

Penance is the sophomore novel by Boy Parts writer Eliza Clark. Set in a small town on the British seaside in the midst of the Brexit referendum, the novel details the murder of Joan “Joni” Wilson, a local high school student tortured and burned to death by her fellow classmates. In Penance, Journalist Alec Carelli compiles the stories behind the three perpetrators’ motivations to murder using interviews, social media posts, podcasts excerpts and witness accounts, lending to some interesting commentary by Clark on the “True Crime” community all the while taking inspiration from real life cases.

Having read and enjoyed Boy Parts in 2020, I was looking forward to Clark’s follow up novel, and I can truthfully say I was not disappointed. Clark’s writing has improved significantly since her debut. In Penance, her words are constantly sharp, witty and visceral, and the narrative of the novel is gripping throughout. This story displays some important criticism of the true crime industry and people’s obsession with real-life tragedies, and is a masterful example of how a writer can create an engrossing fictional narrative without exploiting real victims or their families.

The mix of formats in this novel kept the reading light and interesting throughout, and offered a glimpse into the online presence of teenage girls that many readers might be shocked by. Penance is a cautionary tale about teenage female friendship groups and the feeling of needing to escape the “personal hell” that is their small town, as well as an astute commentary piece on the ever present class divide in the northern United Kingdom.

Through this novel, it is clear that Clark possesses the ability to create page turning pieces of fiction while providing interesting social observations. I look forward to Penance’s publication date in the US.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Penance.

4.5 stars actual rating.

Penance is a fictional true crime novel based on the murder of a teenage girl by three other young girls. It’s written from the perspective of a disgraced journalist that sets out to write a definitive account of the murder. However, the reader is informed from the beginning that not everything may be truthful.

This was an excellent critique of the consumption and popularity of true crime media. The story is told through so many different formats: interviews, podcasts, blog posts, texts, and dramatizations of what occurred. Though fictional, it feels extremely realistic. From the male podcast sexualizing the women, to teenagers romanticizing serial killers, it’s uncanny how accurate it is. You can tell Eliza Clark put a lot of research into this and perfected the way these communities speak and engage with each other. She also makes you reflect on the toxicity of true crime and how it impacts the families of the victims and perpetrators. They’re constantly reminded of the most tragic thing that has happened to them, while also knowing that fans are finding a form of entertainment in the tragedy. There’s a lot to sit back and reflect on, and that’s always a mark for a fantastic book. I definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Books for an eARC of this book. Options are my own and freely given. US pub date: 9/26/2023

Eliza Clark is a force to be reckoned with. After loving “Boy Parts,” I couldn’t wait for Clark’s sophomore novel. “Penance” is an incredibly unique take on the crime fiction genre. Reading like a true crime documentary, the story uncovers the death of a young girl, who was murdered by her peers. This book was hard to stomach at times, yet impossible to put down! It’s easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

5 ⭐️

This book was super riveting, but didn’t quite stick the landing. By the end, I wasn’t sure what point the author was trying to make about true crime on a whole—or what the purpose of the frame narrative was. But I thought some of the characters here were super unique and original. And I very much enjoyed reading it overall.

I wasn't even able to finish Eliza Clark's debut, Boy Parts, so color me surprised when my interest was piqued when her sophomore novel hit NetGalley. Here's an example of when I'm glad to have given an author another chance. This book isn't perfect by any means, I'll discuss that in a bit, but it's leaps and bounds better than her debut, in my opinion.

"At around 4:30 a.m., on 23 June 2016, sixteen year old Joan Wilson was doused in petrol and set on fire after enduring several hours of torture in a small beach chalet. Her assailants were three other teenage girls - all four girls attended the same high school."

Wow, right? I couldn't wait to dig into the nitty gritty details of how things went so wrong for these young women and I was not disappointed.

A disgraced journalist decides he wants to tell this story after hearing about it on a podcast. He heads to Crow-on-sea where he interviews family members of the victim and perpetrators, as well as other friends of the girls. He does a deep dive into the girls social media presence to try to really get a grip on the state of minds these young women had leading up to this heinous crime.

So this book is actually a fictional story parading around like a true crime novel and I kind of love it for that.

But, it wasn't all roses. There were a few things I could have lived without.

My first and biggest complaint is that this book is much too long. Too much time was given to the towns history. I don't care about what Viking discovered it or how it got it's name.

The social media posts were much too many. While I understand how important social media is to our youth today, and how it allows us a glimpse into the girls minds and thoughts, I think these could have been scaled back a bit. All the acronyms and slang for a dinosaur like myself made these very tedious to read.

All the talk about pocket hells and magic are not my personal preference so I would skim these scenes when the girls would drone on and on about it. Again, I realize this is setting the tone and showing how truly messed up these young ladies were but...whatever, I didn't enjoy it.

So with a few minor tweaks this could really be sensational and the pacing would improve tremendously.

The ending to this novel will be divisive among readers but I actually thought it was really well done.

So there were some hits and some misses but in the end I am glad to have taken this twisted journey to the truth....or is it true? You be the judge. 3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for my complimentary copy.

This is one of the most chilling and terrifying books I’ve ever read— especially as a woman of a young girl. This is definitely not for the faint of heart. This feels like three parts memoir, true crime, and lit fic. What a powerhouse of a novel.

DNFed at 35%. This books really does read like a 6 episode true crime docuseries. The problem, for me, was that I don’t want to read page after page of history of the local hotel, boardwalk, etc. This may pick up pace once it gets to the second girl’s perspective, but I just couldn’t get that far with it. I’ll stick to watching true crime shows rather than reading them.

"Penance" was one amazing hell of a book that provides a gut punch to the reader. You start with a narrative that is a fictional account of a republished book that had a warped and manipulative truth that caused it to be "pulled" from the shelves. But as you are reading this, you forget that you are reading a fictional book and you are not reading a true crime book. And that is the whole point. The way Clark constructed this innovative novel will have the reader engrossed as soon as they read that "publisher's note".

"Penance" is an amazing critique of the true crime genre and how we as a society can sometimes use it as a form of entertainment and not realize that these were real events that happened to real people. We love hearing about them but don't realize that the truth can be manipulated. I also loved the characters in this book. The small town of Crow felt so real and although I have never grown up in a small town, the characters, and the environment stood out to me and made me feel like I was there horror and all.

Bold, intriguing, and psychologically compelling, "Penance" is a book that will stay with you always once you read it. Perfect for readers who enjoy true crime and unreliable narrators, "Penance" is a book that will leave you speechless.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper for an advance in exchange for an honest review.

Still weighing out my feelings on this one and expect to be for a long while..

While it isn't quite the same as Clark's first novel, I do think that lovers of Boy Parts will enjoy this one too. A gripe I have is that it has a lot of names/characters to keep track of. And it did feel a bit long - mostly because some of the background info chapters felt like a big of a drag at times. However, I do think that the mixed media aspect of this one helps that. I loved the tumblr aspect.. given my age lol This really captures teenage cruelty.. or does it?!

A fantastic follow-up after Eliza Clark's viral debut. PENANCE is a spot-on, incisive examination of true crime media, internet fandom, Brexit-era class tensions, and the horror of being a teenage girl. Clark uses form brilliantly, framing the novel as an unreliable nonfiction account that includes "primary sources" of everything from interviews to Discord chatlogs. This novel is horrifying and riveting and you won't want to put it down, while the book itself makes you question why that is.

I’ve truly never read anything quite like this. Penance by Eliza Clark is both an addictive “true” crime investigation and a commentary on our cultural obsession, desensitization, and overall treatment of true crime.

Penance takes place in the little British seaside town of Crow-on-Sea and tells the shocking story of three high school girls who set their friend on fire. The narrator is the supposed writer of Penance, a journalist who attempts to make his career comeback by writing about this true crime that was previously overshadowed by Brexit news coverage. The narrative reads like an investigative report. Told through interviews, witnesses accounts, transcripts, screenshots, town history, and the author’s own emotional interpretation of these sources, a fuller picture of the crime emerges.... Well, sort of. How much of this story is true and does it really matter? These are questions you will contemplate both during and after obsessively reading Penance.

Penance makes you feel like you’ve been included in the investigation. As you scour over interviews and screenshots for answers, you’ll learn about the inner lives of the victim, perpetrators, and their families.

The characters are very realistic (with a touch of humor) both individually and how they interact with each other. Teen girl cruelty mixes with the desire to fit in, adding a necessary layer of insight and empathy as the story progresses. Notably, there is a timely exploration of the role of internet culture in the main character’s lives - with references to the dark side of The Sims and Tumblr (among other) online communities that play an important part in events leading up to the crime. Or at the very least, provide context.

Clark also creates a convincing, fictional town, Crow-on-Sea, that is brimming with history and lore. Meanwhile, real places and true crime events also exist in this world. I loved how fact & fiction intertwined, rooting the story in reality but leaving plenty of room for uncertainties.

The unconventional plot took some getting used to but was rewarding. Structurally completely different from Boy Parts, Clark’s voice shines through similarly by way of clever commentary that overlays the narrative. At the end, I really wanted to know MORE and I think that played on the reader's desire to know the gory details. Still, this left the ending feeling incomplete to me.

Ultimately, Penance was worth the ride and I would recommend it to anyone who loves or hates true crime. Clark successfully toys with our fascination of the “dead white girl story” and consequently forces us to confront how weird and creepy we are. This was a compulsive, thoughtful read that I'm still thinking about!

Wow, incredible! I really loved Eliza Clark's second book "Penance". It was much different than Boy Parts. Penance is written as a true crime novel, detailing the lead-up to the death of a 17 year old girl, Joni, and the relationship (or lack thereof) with the perpetrators, who were her peers. We follow the "journalist" of the novel, Alec Carelli, as he interviews family and friends of the girls involved. Penance was so well written; Clark did such a great job describing the online fandoms the girls were involved in, similar to how well she discussed the use of Instagram and social media in Boy Parts. It was a disturbing look at how enamored people have become with true-crime and indulging in it any way they can: podcasts, books, walking tours, etc, and really made me reflect on my own relationship with true crime media. Anyway, Penance was fantastic but don't go into it thinking it's going to be in the same vein as Boy Parts.

Boy Parts was one of my favorite reads so far this year, so I was THRILLED to receive an ARC of Penance. And I did not find myself disappointed by Eliza Clark’s second novel.

Penance is a fictionalized “non-fiction” account of the murder of a schoolgirl by her peers in a seaside town in England. We’re taken through the psychology and lives of the girls that committed the murder. In recent years the crime has gone viral among the true crime community. It sounds horrible to say “gone viral,” but that’s how the murder is treated without the victim getting much justice in all of these podcasts/books/articles.

As someone who does watch/read/listen to true crime, this book made me face whether that is an ethical topic to consume. This is something I’ve been struggling with regardless. How often is what actually happened being told in these re-tellings? Is the victim getting any justice by their story being brought to light? Or is it just re-traumatizing for friends and families of the victims? Especially when it comes to fictionalized accounts of these stories as they’re made into TV shows and movies, it’s hard to feel like they’re doing more good than harm.

Clark is a strong writer who is able to pull you in from the jump. The characters, while three of them being murderers, are multi-faceted and horrifyingly interesting. I love the structure of the book in how it mirrors actual non-fiction true crime books. It includes interview and podcast transcriptions, news articles, reddit community posts, text conversations. And the ending! So satisfying and makes you rethink everything you just read.

I will continue to read everything that Eliza Clark publishes!!

3.5 stars rounded up.

This one came in hot and kept up the pace for the duration, which is a credit to Clark’s skill. We could have easily lost that sense of unease and anticipation as we drew nearer to learning the full story of what happened to Joni (or what each of the girls and their families claim happened, from their own perspective), but the momentum was strong throughout, which I appreciated.

I also enjoyed the exploration of internet culture and just how much it can f**k with the minds of teenagers. I was lucky enough to have the internet in its somewhat nascent stages during my later teenage years (I remember having to go to the computer lab at university to check my email every day!), so technology addiction didn’t kick in until much later. I’m thankful for that because kids are now bombarded with anything and everything before they even understand what they’re seeing/reading/starting to believe, and this story was very indicative of how harmful that can actually be.

That being said, there were places where I felt this book lacked maturity from the writer’s perspective. There’s nothing wrong with writing being “young,” per se, but I noticed in places a serious lack of nuance and a desire to be provocative simply for the sake of it. Then again, I feel like this is just a quirk of Clark’s since I remember feeling similarly after Boy Parts. I feel like Clark thinks she escapes being called out for this mechanism because she often calls it out in herself, but to me, that doesn’t negate some of the lazier/more cliche details and instead just tells me she should know better.

Take, for instance, (view spoiler) I found myself rolling my eyes during the description of him/his character and just felt this was an embellishment that cheapened the seriousness of the story overall.

I also felt the Tumblr thing was a little silly. Yes, I can totally imagine a lonely outsider getting interested in true crime and even becoming obsessed with it, but Violet’s and Dolly’s separate and unique obsessions with it seemed to beggar belief in places - not because it couldn’t happen, but because it was written to such extremes that it almost seemed comical in times rather than frightening/foreboding. I had to try not to think about it too much or it would have really taken away from the story for me.

I could go on, but it’s likely me just being nitpicky. I did actually enjoy this. However, I don’t think it’s worthy of the extensive accolades it’s likely to get upon its release next week and in the coming year. I hate weird for the sake of weird, which is why I suppose I have such a love-hate relationship with Clark’s writing since that’s a huge part of her M.O. as a writer.

Author of the viral debut "Boy Parts," Eliza Clark has delivered something different here with a faux-true-crime book about the (fictitious) murder of a young woman in an English seaside resort. Very similar in approach to (the coincidentally similarly titled!) "True Crime Story" by Joseph Knox and "True Story" by Kate Reed Petty, it uses a number of different perspectives to examine what really happened and how those left behind were affected. An addictive narrative style and thought-provoking plot combine to produce a very compelling novel.

do you know what happened to her already? did you catch it in the papers? are you local? did you know her?

set against the backdrop of a dreary seaside town, penance recounts the shocking and disturbing murder of joan wilson, who was tortured and set on fire by three of her teenage classmates.

eliza clark is an immensely talented writer and creates an incredibly layered story through use of form. the story unfolds through interviews, podcast transcripts, emails and texts. the writing perfectly captures the chronically online teen era of tumblr, creepypasta, reddit and the impact the internet had during that time period.

penance demonstrates clark’s vast range in writing through multiple perspectives throughout the book. the characters each have such distinct and unique voices, ranging from a washed up journalist to a teenage girl writing fanfic about high school shooters. each perspective tells a different story and each story tells a different “truth” making the reader question themselves at every turn.

clark writes bold, edgy prose that is completely engrossing and impossible to stop reading.
with underlying themes of class, small town mentality, trauma, and teen angst clark tackles extremely heavy subject matters and poses thought provoking questions. do obsessive internet fandoms perpetuate cyclical systems of violence? can anyone ever properly atone for their crimes? how much of non-fiction writing is embellished and at what point does it become fictional?

penance acts as an allegory for the negative impacts and morality of the true crime industrial complex. as the reader becomes more invested in the story clark demonstrates how easily consumable this type of media is and how toxic it can be.

this book absolutely blew my mind. penance is out september 26th and i cannot wait for everyone to read it.

I don't know if I have enough words for how much I adore this book. Penance is a master class in unreliable narrators. Penance is 45 unreliable narrators in a trench coat and I'm obsessed with it.

Eliza Clark's first book Boy Parts was horrible in the best possible way, so I expected nothing something similar with Penance and was not disappointed. I feel like this book was written for me specifically, a person who spent too much time on Tumblr in the 2010s.

I'm so excited for the formal publication so I can purchase a hard copy for myself.