Name: armoni mayes's review of Penance by Eliza Clark
Item: Penance
Rating: 3
Author: armoni mayes

Eliza Clark

A GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST 2023'You've never read anything like this.' JULIA ARMFIELDDo you know what happened already? Did you know her? Did you see it on the internet? Did you listen to a podcast? Did the hosts make jokes?Did you see the pictures of the body?Did you look for them?It's been nearly a decade since the horrifying murder of sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson rocked Crow-on-Sea, and the events of that terrible night are now being published for the first time.That story is Penance, a dizzying feat of masterful storytelling, where Eliza Clark manoeuvres us through accounts from the inhabitants of this small seaside town. Placing us in the capable hands of journalist Alec Z. Carelli, Clark allows him to construct what he claims is the 'definitive account' of the murder - and what led up to it. Built on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves, the result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.The only question is: how much of it is true?**Eliza Clark's incendiary debut, Boy Parts, is available now**

Penance

Dominik Hofer

armoni mayes

I really don’t know if i liked the book yet so i’ll get back around to updating this review at some point

arwen

clever commentary on the true crimes industry. i think the frame narrative was really interesting (blending the lines between fact & fiction, the interview/podcast/historical background format etc) but it didn't really work for me and i ended up skimming some parts. i also feel like this book was too long (and NGL i considered dnfing)

it might be one of my favorite books of all time. to be honest, i'm not a fan of true crime and i find most of the genre's content disturbing and unnecessary. however, i won't lie and pretend that often it can be engaging. i believe all humans can fall into morbid curiosity. 

this book is incredibly compelling, horrifying, hilarious and so well written. have you ever read "teen dialogue" and think "wow, this person has never met a teenager in their life?". this is the opposite of that. every discord message, every tumblr post, that entire chapter of mass shooter rpf is so real, i was so shocked. 

i can't stop recommending it.

an ugly, mesmerizing window into how insane it is that we just created the internet and made no rules for it whatsoever. If you were a tumblr girlie this book will feel like emotional violence

Margo Koss

This book is a deep dive into the dark lives of true crime, and who has the right to tell these stories. And, of why we are mesmerized by them. It was very uncomfortable and brilliantly written.

Cheri McElroy

Was so fckn amazed by its hellish portrayal of teenage friendship/its searing take down of true crime that I could look past pretty much any issue I had with it. Also the first book I've read in a while that has a realistic representation of teens in the Internet 

Regan Martin

was this book smart and intelligent in its investigation of true crime? sure. did i enjoy it? not really. but i did think it was brilliant enough to keep my intrigue going.

This unsettling book digs into society's fixation on true crime through a fictional lens. 

Penance, presented as investigative journalism, recounts a gruesome murder in a northern seaside town during the Brexit vote. The novel's social and political context provides rich commentary, examining the decay of such towns and the impact of political and class divides. 

It also examines the dark side of society’s true-crime obsession, particularly internet fandom culture, portraying the darkness of 2010s Tumblr with chilling yet laugh-worthy accuracy. 

Eliza's authentic depiction of internet culture definitely provokes reflection on my own engagement with true crime. After finishing the book a few days ago, this thought-provoking book is still running laps around my brain, making it a book I’ll be recommending to everyone!

Robyn Claridge

This unsettling book digs into society's fixation on true crime through a fictional lens. 

Penance, presented as investigative journalism, recounts a gruesome murder in a northern seaside town during the Brexit vote. The novel's social and political context provides rich commentary, examining the decay of such towns and the impact of political and class divides. 

It also examines the dark side of society’s true-crime obsession, particularly internet fandom culture, portraying the darkness of 2010s Tumblr with chilling yet laugh-worthy accuracy. 

Eliza's authentic depiction of internet culture definitely provokes reflection on my own engagement with true crime. After finishing the book a few days ago, this thought-provoking book is still running laps around my brain, making it a book I’ll be recommending to everyone!

Dominik Hofer &
Penance by Eliza Clark

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Dominik Hofer &Penance by Eliza Clark

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Dominik Hofer &
Penance by Eliza Clark