Such a beautiful book! Penitence wraps up several generations of love, suffering, secrets, and regrets into a wonderfully executed story. Kristin Koval has written a thoughtful, tender, touching family drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

✨This book left me completely speechless. I can’t believe this masterpiece of a novel is a debut because, in my opinion, it’s an instant classic.

✨ I was completely blown away by the cast of flawed but superbly authentic characters as well as the expertly plotted narrative which, quite honestly, is one of the best I’ve read. I haven’t seen this level of depth in storytelling since Jodi Picoult.

✨ This book will be perfect for a book club selection with so many topics for in-depth discussion.

✨Highly, highly recommend. Go ahead and add this one to your TBR now. It’s going to be a bestseller that everyone will be talking about.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Family fiction
✨Themes of forgiveness and redemption
✨Dual timelines
✨Love and loss
✨Expertly crafted depth and complexity
✨Colorado setting
✨Ski culture
✨Jodi Picoult books
✨Book club reads

My thanks to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
This was a great read! When a murder happens Angie and David are shocked! How could this have happened? The questions, the blame game, hiring a lawyer who is the mother to Angie’s first love- so how will that work when Julian comes to help out? Why did it happen? How do you forgive? Grab this book for the answers and feel all the emotions of this read!

(No major spoilers)

“Penitence” …
[sorrow for one’s sins or faults] . . .
…This vigorous ‘baffling-at-times’ whiplash debut novel keeps us off balance until the vacillating conclusive ending.
I was exhausted by the end — but I’m sure glad I read it. It won’t be an easy book to forget.
—intriguing plot lines (past/present timelines weaved together),
—nuanced characters,
—picturesque exquisite Colorado scenery
—emotional human components, (love, shock, loss, tragedy, anger, blame, betrayal, grief, guilt, depression, death, loneliness, sadness, secrets, hope, champion and shield guards, the challenges of restoring harmony and forgiveness,
—exemplary obstacles of the criminal justice system, (soft vs. ‘tough-on-crime’ disputes, and the possibilities that a minor as young as 12 yrs. can face trial in adult court),
—overall wrenching yet intellectually rigorous depth and breadth, totally alive,1
—a tremendous novel that will wring out our tired hearts.
I highly recommend ‘take-the-ride’!!!

… If any book screams ‘film adaptation’ … this is it!
With chilly piercingly penetrating prose, it’s an astonishing-gripping- emotional - down-right thought-provoking interesting debut — [mystery, fiction, crime, family, literary fiction].
320 pages ….
A reader could fly through the pages at running speeds (it’s that ‘in-your-face’-engrossing), or pause to contemplate — and take a longer route (slow down your reading for deeper digestion).
I took the longer path (purposefully) -
There are several juicy issues to grapple with.

Tidbits . . . excerpts . . . and thoughts:
….Angie (mother, wife, artist, teacher) and husband/father, David Sheehan, (Law Enforcement Ranger for The Gunnison National Park spent hours a day commuting), lived in Lodgepole, (a fictional small town), Colorado.
They had two children.
….Nora, 13 yrs. old sits in a jail cell. Nora, like her mother, Nora was a talented artist. She loved to draw and paint.
Nora doesn’t seem like the sort of girl to shoot and kill her 14 yr. old brother, Nico, who we are told numerous times that she loved him.
Nico was a mature academically gifted child with a passion and knowledge for birds. Until he was diagnosed with juvenile Huntington’s disease, Nico would have never needed help with his homework.
The Sheehan family were all skiers at one point during their more happy family lives. Nico had to give it up after his diagnosis.

….Martine Dumont, also living in Lodgepole, is 72 year old woman (buried two husbands- lives with her dog, Jack). She was a divorce and criminal lawyer—very close to retiring.
Martine has two adult sons:
….Gregory (married to another man was often away traveling for work (a journalist reporting on genocide in Myanmar or drought in Somalia or wildfires in Australia)- but a some point we learn the couple wanted to look into adoption and surrogacy.
Gregory is ‘minor’ character in this story.
….Martine’s oldest son, Julian, (six years older than Gregory), is a criminal defense attorney working in Manhattan. He’s a ‘major’ character. Martine had pretty much been estranged from Julian since his senior year in high school — when she sent him to live with her mother, (his grandmother), in New York. Yet when she calls her son to come back home to defend Nora — he was only surprised his mother hadn’t called him sooner.

Being in a small town, Lodgepole, means small police department.
People talk-gossip.
All eyes will be on David, Angie, and Nora.
Julian once loved Angie.
Angie loved Julian.
Decades ago, when they were in high school, there was ski accident that changed the course of their lives.
Both mothers of Julian and Angie did their best to keep them apart.

Julian returns home. He’s married to a woman named Mayumi, a therapist. She remains in New York while Julian will fly back and forth from New York to Colorado.
They have no children yet.
Soon.
Being Angie’s ex-boyfriend complicates—(big time history re-surfaces) — and that’s what adds to this compelling novel.
In the meantime- present day, Julian and his mother re-connect (Julian wishes he had forgiven his mother years ago).
They work together on Nora’s case with Julian being the primary lawyer.
It’s his field of law - defense attorney.

At this point - instead of sharing more specific details about the past & present timelines or the toll the crime triggered for every character involved—
I’ll leave a few ‘non-spoiler’ excerpts (little flavors)

“Although Colorado law clearly allows it, Martine doesn’t understand how the system can blithely treat a 13-year-old as anything but a child, and she has no idea how to effectively fight it”.

“But Nora doesn’t remember ‘what’ happened and still isn’t speaking” . . .
How is a defense lawyer supposed to try a case if her client won’t even speak to her?”

“There had been so many happy family memories.
They joked together. They took care of one another. They made s’mores over campfires in the summer, baked chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen in the winter. They skied and biked and hiked together. They did puzzles when it rained in the spring and went trick-or-treating together on Halloween”.

“Some of the defining moments in life are nothing close to moments. They are instead the accumulated debris of personal history that reaches a tipping point, debris that weighs too much and topples over, or extends too high in the sky and simply falls back to the ground, brought down by gravity or hubris or simply the knowledge that this is the wrong place in the universe”.

The narrative is thought-provoking producing deep discussions for book clubs.

Kristin Koval chronicles the characters flaws and strengths making them human and real.
Her glorious sentences are a complement to readers intelligence.
The journey we take easily stimulates our thoughts and emotions.
Most: it’s a novel a reader won’t forget! Powerfully twisty circumstances throughout!

What would cause 13 year old Nora to shoot and kill her 14 year old brother? And how do their parents deal with what is essentially the loss of both of their children? Set in a small Colorado ski town, as the novel follows the aftermath - arrest, incarceration, legal processes – it reveals the complex relationships of the characters involved with Nora’s case. A local general practice attorney, long estranged friend of Nora’s difficult grandmother takes the case then brings in her son, a successful New York criminal defense lawyer who has a past relationship with Nora’s mother and was a classmate of Nora’s father. This well written story touches on the challenges of the juvenile justice system, moral and ethical dilemmas, guilt, love, family loyalty, how the past informs the present and, ultimately, forgiveness. It’s a great read.

A magnificent debut novel that has you thinking of the many complex characters long after you’ve read the final page. This is a beautifully written dual timeline family drama perfect for book club discussions.

I look forward to future books by this very talented author.

This riveting debut explores the many facets of wrong doing in people’s lives from a hurtful lie to murder. The epigraph is from Just Mercy, “each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done”. That is not intended as a get out of jail free card but as a way to live with yourself, moving forward. A teenage daughter kills her brother and the parents bring back in their lives two people that were blamed and ostracized from the family for past deeds to defend their daughter. Kristin Koval does an incredible job flushing out these characters with honesty and compassion. The book is a bit of a mystery because she reveals these relationships layer by layer. She’s a talent to watch! I strongly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon for the advanced readers copy.

Angie and David Sheahan’s family are devastated by the shocking murder of their young son in their home. They enlist the services of Martine Dumont, a lawyer in the small town where they live, to defend their thirteen-year-old daughter, who is accused of murder. Angie and Martine have a special bond; she is the mother of Angie’s former lover, Julian, a successful criminal defense attorney in New York City. Her unrequited feelings for Julian complicate Angie’s struggles to cope with her young daughter's case when Julian tries to help with her defense.
This is a story that reaches back to the days before 9/11 when relationships between the family members were scarred by the guilt that remained from a tragic accident that had occurred. Would the family be able to pull together in support of a young girl about to be sentenced to a lengthy prison term?

Penitence is literary, suspenseful, socially relevant, and emotionally on-point. This is Kristin Koval’s debut, and I will be looking forward to reading her next novel.

The novel opens with a short epigraph that tells the reader, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” We then drop directly into the prologue where 13-year-old Nora is being held in a jail cell for the murder of her brother. Later we learn that this isn’t the only tragedy to befall this family. There was also a skiing accident that happened years before when Nora’s mother was a teenager.

These events profoundly affect two families that are woven together through love as well as the repercussions of these events. Penitence is a story of pain and heartbreak but also of forgiveness and redemption. Part of the power of this novel is that the story is told from multiple points of view. The characters are fully drawn and profoundly human. They have great strengths, deep flaws, and are all scarred by trauma. We see not only the actions of the characters, but also their feelings and motivations. We see their love, their pain, and their desire for connection. Through this, we see how their fates are intertwined and how their love for each other offers the potential for redemption. This novel takes on painful events and hard topics, but it does so in a way that left me feeling hopeful that each of us matters. No matter our failings, there is always the possibility of connection and love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC. The opinions in this review are solely my own.

This debut literary thriller is quite the page-turner. Fratricide occurs early in the book, bringing back together two families torn apart by a tragic accident, resulting in something of a Romeo and Juliet story; that story ends in multiple betrayals that affect multiple lives. But this story is so much more than that, encompassing issues of mental illness, addiction, childhood and elderly health, and a disturbing juvenile penal system, all while being bolstered by intricately-crafted characters and their intertwined familial relationships. Keep an eye on Koval!

In Penitence, Kristin Koval weaves a suspenseful and heartfelt story that pulls readers into the fractured lives of Angie and David Sheehan after a murder disrupts the peace of their home. Desperate for justice and fearing for their family, the couple reaches out to Martine Dumont, a small-town lawyer who brings an unexpected link to Angie’s past. Martine’s son, Julian—a prominent New York defense attorney and Angie’s first love—steps in to aid the Sheehans, forcing Angie and Julian to confront both the pain of their past and lingering emotions that have haunted them.

As Angie and Julian dig into the tangled history that binds them, Koval explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the lingering effects of buried secrets. The tension of the unresolved tragedy they share is as gripping as the mystery itself, keeping readers invested in their struggle to balance old wounds with the demands of the present. Angie’s journey toward self-acceptance, combined with Julian’s grappling with his own role in their shared history, makes for a story that is as emotionally complex as it is suspenseful.

Penitence offers readers an engaging blend of suspense and romance, capturing the complexities of family ties and past mistakes that never truly disappear. For those who love stories of reconciliation wrapped in a gripping mystery, this book delivers both intrigue and a deeply personal journey that resonates long after the last page.

Penitence is a debut novel by lawyer, turned author Kristin Koval. It is a well-paced, harrowing story of fratricide in a small ski town in Colorado. Koval manages several interwoven plots with aplomb and toward the end manages to add a few plausible twists that keep the narrative interesting. The book is a harsh critique of the criminal justice system in the United States – especially where juvenile offenders are concerned. More importantly it is an examination of culpability, guilt and innocence as well as forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Press for the eARC in exchange for this review.

This is a well written deep book about complicated family relationships and complicated relationships between two family. It is more a family drama than a mystery and the ending leaves us to draw our own conclusions. How does a family heal with their 13 yr old daughter kills her brother for no apparent reason. Lot of ethical issues are explored and overall it ended up being a moving read. 4.5

Ugghhh this book tugs at your heartstrings, makes you question what is right and what is wrong, leaves you wondering about every choice made. And then slams you in the gut.
The main story appears to be “the murder”, and it is right up there. But told in different timelines, we learn about the choices that led up to it.
A family drama, examining parental relationships, first relationships, and everything in between.
Do we tell lies? Or are they simply omissions?

If your daughter kills your son/her brother can you forgive your daughter? How can you grieve the loss of your son but still help your daughter in her defense? Can you ever truly forgive?

Heavy questions present themselves in this debut author's book, Penitence. I really loved the thoughtfulness the author gives to the characters in this book. The book goes back and forth a couple of decades from when Angie, the mother, is growing up in small town Colorado and is in love for over a decade with Julian. A tragedy occurs when they are seniors in high school and Julian moves to NY. Decades later they are reunited when Julian is now a criminal lawyer and is asked to help represent Angie's daughter, Nora, who killed her brother, Nico. Her brother suffered from Huntington's disease (a horrific disease, I might add, especially when diagnosed as a juvenile). Why did Nora kill Nico? Mercy killing? Upset by how her mother treated both of them?

Ultimately this book is about families and the lies we keep inside and the forgiveness we all seek, despite our flaws.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Publishers and Kristin Koval for an advanced copy in exchange for my opinion. I look forward to her next novel as this one really makes you think.

An emotional moving story ,a young girl accused of killing her brother her Irish twin shooting him to death.As she sits in a jail cell we meet her family and others involved in her world.There are so many layers so much history so many connections history in this small town.This is at times a harrowing story so beautifully written I was totally drawn in from the first page of this debut novel.Inlook forward to reading more by Kristin Koval.#netgalley#celadonbooks

This well-written book was engaging and paced well. I wasn't expecting a twist at the end, but there was one! I struggled a bit with Angie's character...she felt so different between who she was with Julian and who she was with David. Much transpired in the middle, but she seemed fundamentally different, which didn't seem believable to me. Still enjoyed.

Prepare yourself for an emotional journey that will leave you profoundly affected! The lives of Angie and David are shattered when their teenage daughter commits a tragic act against their son. However, the situation is far more complex than it initially appears. This gripping narrative unravels layers of guilt as hidden truths come to light. I found myself engrossed, unable to put the book down, and it moved me to tears. Every character in this story is impacted, and you will be too!

Thank you to Net Galley and Celadon books for the ARC to read and review!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Penitence by Kristin Koval
This was an awesome novel, it made you think and feel and wonder. The story goes from past to present as the story unfolds and we learn more about the characters and their history. I didn't see the twist coming until we were supposed to. Awesome characters, well described and realistic, the settings are well described also. Lots of emotions and difficult topics in this novel, the author handles it well.
I have not read this author's books before, but I'll certainly add her other books to my list.

I enjoyed reading this debut novel. So much history with the characters, so many what ifs... I felt drawn to all the characters, flawed and all. Would recommend. The relationships in the novel were so intertwined, siblings, lovers, parents, but at the end I felt like they were all woven together and I left feeling these characters are going to be OK and that the best way out is always through.