Penance is written from the perspective of a journalist investigating the crime of a teenager, burnt to death by her friends. Because it is written like a non-fiction book, with fake facts and with histories of places and things, it can be a bit dry at times. As a result, I did find myself wanting to occasionally skim.
But I saw what was being done and I bought into it, and in the end I was genuinely surprised by the perspective revealed. It made me look back at the whole thing differently.
I think this was one of the most poignant tales we have on the true crime industry, the way victims and their families are exploited for our entertainment, and what’s left behind when we lose interest.

I loved (as mush as one can) Boy Parts, so I was super excited for this. It's definitely much different, but Eliza Clark yet again proves she is a talent to be reckoned with. She will make you uncomfortable, and you'll thank her for it afterwards. Penance was a great look at online culture and radicalization, and our obsession with true-crime in a world populated with fake news.

Penance is a fictional true-crime novel that’s as real as today's headlines. True crime fans will devour the intricacies of Clark's "methodical research" into the lives of the the three school bullies and the hapless girl they set on fire. Fictional interviews that seem all too real and historical research make the setting a viable spot for the crime.
Penance is a bit too long for me, but for meticulous crime fans, it's a perfect treat.

Penance grabbed my attention for the first page and kept me reading, aghast, all through the day until late at night. The characters are compelling, the story is horrifying, and the subject feels eerily real. Eliza Clark perfectly encapsulates the viciousness of being alive.

A fictional non-fiction true crime book about the brutal death of a teenage girl by the hands of other teenage girls. So immersive that I several times forgot that all of these people and events never existed. Stomach-churningly accurate depictions of the teen girl experience, especially in the digital era. A hugely ambitious project that succeeds in all its goals. An ending that is very slightly on-the-nose, but no less of a gut-punch for that, and couldn't have ended any other way, really. Grabbed me by the throat.

EXCELLENT. I loved Boy Parts but this one was even stronger-- a really fine commentary on 2010's internet culture, the true crime industrial complex, and just the banal evil of teenage girls. This one will really hit home if you were tumblr or fandom adjacent circa 2012.....