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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
An atmospheric psychological thriller cum drama/romance. This is one of the most effective uses of first person POV in lesfic I've read. The author takes us into the mind of the lead character Lucy and experience first hand her feelings of alienation, dread and guilt as she attempts to recover from a tragic accident.
In the first couple of chapters, Lucy's ruminations may sound like that of someone with paranoid delusion, but as more details are revealed, we start to get why she acts and thinks that way. Things (and Lucy) start to perk up once a neighbor (Karen) arrives and Lucy begins interacting with someone who doesn't look at her like a pitiable creature. Their relationship is well-developed and paced and thru Karen, the real Lucy before the accident occurred slowly emerges again.
There is a sinister presence, however, and hairy things happen. I must say the author managed to lead me astray with her red herrings. So the final reveal caught me way off guard. And Lucy's choice, and later Karen's choice, were heart-rending!
This book reminded me of those M. Night Shymalan movies (the good ones, at least). With just words, the author manages to conjur up for me vivid images of the eerie houses, manor and village and its creepy inhabitants as seen through the eyes of Lucy. But unlike Mr. Shyamalan's works, this book actually has an engaging story to tell.
Reading both of the author's books back to back, I can't help but compare the two. Both involve mysteries, though Pennance is darker. In 'After Mrs Hamilton', there were a great many characters and the plot was fairly convoluted, but I had the 'big reveal' figured out half way into the book. The romances were lovely though. In Pennance, the plot is much simpler, but the mystery worked better. And because there were just two lead characters, the romance was also developed better.
There are some things that the were left unexplained such as
Pennance
In the first couple of chapters, Lucy's ruminations may sound like that of someone with paranoid delusion, but as more details are revealed, we start to get why she acts and thinks that way. Things (and Lucy) start to perk up once a neighbor (Karen) arrives and Lucy begins interacting with someone who doesn't look at her like a pitiable creature. Their relationship is well-developed and paced and thru Karen, the real Lucy before the accident occurred slowly emerges again.
There is a sinister presence, however, and hairy things happen. I must say the author managed to lead me astray with her red herrings. So the final reveal caught me way off guard. And Lucy's choice, and later Karen's choice, were heart-rending!
This book reminded me of those M. Night Shymalan movies (the good ones, at least). With just words, the author manages to conjur up for me vivid images of the eerie houses, manor and village and its creepy inhabitants as seen through the eyes of Lucy. But unlike Mr. Shyamalan's works, this book actually has an engaging story to tell.
Reading both of the author's books back to back, I can't help but compare the two. Both involve mysteries, though Pennance is darker. In 'After Mrs Hamilton', there were a great many characters and the plot was fairly convoluted, but I had the 'big reveal' figured out half way into the book. The romances were lovely though. In Pennance, the plot is much simpler, but the mystery worked better. And because there were just two lead characters, the romance was also developed better.
There are some things that the were left unexplained such as
Spoiler
Karen and Jake's relationship, Ben's seemingly sudden about-face (from his earlier anti-gay prejudice) which ultimately leads to our heroines' HEA, and an epilogue couldn't hurt either--I just can't imagine our ladies thriving in that soul-sucking place aptly namedPennance
This was such a sad read. It had me in my feels and I felt a bit uncomfortable and sad while reading it. It did also make me smile at times. I’m happy to see the main character grow and get a happier life after losing her boyfriend. But still, it’s only a 3 star for me as the ending was too short. Show me some happy times between Karen and Lucy. Lucy had too much shit going on to not have that happiness
A woman tries to put her life back together after surviving the car crash that killed her boyfriend. I'm lenient with editing/formatting in self-published work, but the punctuation problems here (missing commas; commas when there should be semicolons or full stops) are so distracting that I almost stopped reading.
This a thriller set in an atmospheric small town, paired with a slow-burn romance that accompanies gradual trauma recovery; a pairing that is distinctive but not always harmonious. Characters are wildly emotive, and while the visceral descriptions are evocative it both strains credulity and highlights the clashing tone. The central romance is what kept me going, and its quiet, compelling dynamic justifies the book. The ending does not. is, at its most generous, a cop-out. Mildly not recommended.
This a thriller set in an atmospheric small town, paired with a slow-burn romance that accompanies gradual trauma recovery; a pairing that is distinctive but not always harmonious. Characters are wildly emotive, and while the visceral descriptions are evocative it both strains credulity and highlights the clashing tone. The central romance is what kept me going, and its quiet, compelling dynamic justifies the book. The ending does not.
Spoiler
I'm on board with a young antagonist, but writing out the deuteragonist's daughter for the sake of a happy ending
The main character Lucy is struggling with an incredible amount of grief and guilt over the death of her partner Jake in an automobile accident. These emotions tend to manifest as crippling anxiety. Plus for the reader you are never quite sure if she has lost her mind or if she is actually seeing and interacting with Jake’s ghost.
Eventually, we are introduced to the new neighbor “Karen” who is dealing with her own issues but the two women begin to form a friendship that strengthens both women, emotionally.
Initially, when I started reading the story I found the flow a little confusing. I suspect it was related to my getting hung up on the ghostly portion of the story and trying to figure out what was “real”. However, I quickly found myself adjusting to the style and relaxing into the actual characters and their development. There is also a healthy mix of mystery/danger throughout to keep the reader intrigued.
This was a very good book, a bit quirky and I’m hoping to see more from this author, self published or otherwise.
Eventually, we are introduced to the new neighbor “Karen” who is dealing with her own issues but the two women begin to form a friendship that strengthens both women, emotionally.
Initially, when I started reading the story I found the flow a little confusing. I suspect it was related to my getting hung up on the ghostly portion of the story and trying to figure out what was “real”. However, I quickly found myself adjusting to the style and relaxing into the actual characters and their development. There is also a healthy mix of mystery/danger throughout to keep the reader intrigued.
This was a very good book, a bit quirky and I’m hoping to see more from this author, self published or otherwise.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yeah, this one will take a couple more reads for me to digest fully.
Post-read first impression Ee-rie! This story is a cross between Patricia Highsmith's [b:The Price of Salt|52258|The Price of Salt|Patricia Highsmith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388193744l/52258._SX50_.jpg|50983] (minus the traveling) and a. I can’t say which one because I don’t normally do .
With a book like Pennance, I sometimes question whether or not the plot is believable. Could this happen in real life? Sure, accidents happen, people die, fingers are pointed, and survivors sometimes blame themselves—hence the need for penance. In Lucy’s case, her penance comes in the form of self-isolation and forcing herself to live with her phobias and hang ups. Her guilt, if you want to call it that, is misdirected. Her feelings for Jake and the chilling scenes of the accident are coincidental? unrelated? I’m not sure what word(s) fits her scenario. Lucy is a settler by nature, so with her guilt, she lives in purgatory for over a year. During this time she has unpleasant conversations with Margaret (Jake’s mom), hates the constant pity she receives from the residents of Pennance, and suffers harassment from Tom Riley who is in his own state of suffering (with a helping hand from Margaret).
A year and a half later, in glides Karen Trevithik who, according to Lucy, is “confident, elegant,” and “comfortable with herself.” However, Karen, who is a mystery to Lucy and us as readers, is also living her own form of purgatory (failed marriage, the target of town gossip, etc.). Lucy bonds immediately with Karen’s three-year-old son, George, but not so much with Karen’s preteen daughter, Sophia. That little...girl. (Word meanings crop up here and there in Pennance; therefore, it’s interesting how Ms. Ashton contrasts the meaning of the name Sophia with Sophia the actual character.)
The chemistry between Lucy and Karen doesn’t leap off the pages, but it's there. The beginning of their relationship is reminiscent of the phrase “misery loves company.” In Lucy and Karen’s case, their miseries grow into an intimate bond made of hope, absolution, and possible happiness. There is also a sense of desperation for Lucy and Karen in that their relationship is seen as being dangerous and reckless based on the town’s perceived status quo.
On a side note, Ms. Ashton has a talent for creating and bending the setting to her will. I’m the first to admit I have little patience when it comes to reading the description of a place or scene and skip ahead to the dialogue and action. However, with Pennance, the setting is an integral part of the story, not a separate element. Yeah, there is some telling in the beginning, but phrases such as buildings looked like miserable animals, weak rays of sun, and large dark clouds, which are mentioned throughout the story enhance the drama/conflict and keeps me turning the pages.
Overall, great story. There’s romance, some angst, and a series of mysterious events that’ll have you asking/guessing who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Post-read first impression Ee-rie! This story is a cross between Patricia Highsmith's [b:The Price of Salt|52258|The Price of Salt|Patricia Highsmith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388193744l/52258._SX50_.jpg|50983] (minus the traveling) and a
Spoiler
evil kid movieSpoiler
evil kid moviesWith a book like Pennance, I sometimes question whether or not the plot is believable. Could this happen in real life? Sure, accidents happen, people die, fingers are pointed, and survivors sometimes blame themselves—hence the need for penance. In Lucy’s case, her penance comes in the form of self-isolation and forcing herself to live with her phobias and hang ups. Her guilt, if you want to call it that, is misdirected. Her feelings for Jake and the chilling scenes of the accident are coincidental? unrelated? I’m not sure what word(s) fits her scenario. Lucy is a settler by nature, so with her guilt, she lives in purgatory for over a year. During this time she has unpleasant conversations with Margaret (Jake’s mom), hates the constant pity she receives from the residents of Pennance, and suffers harassment from Tom Riley who is in his own state of suffering (with a helping hand from Margaret).
A year and a half later, in glides Karen Trevithik who, according to Lucy, is “confident, elegant,” and “comfortable with herself.” However, Karen, who is a mystery to Lucy and us as readers, is also living her own form of purgatory (failed marriage, the target of town gossip, etc.). Lucy bonds immediately with Karen’s three-year-old son, George, but not so much with Karen’s preteen daughter, Sophia. That little...girl. (Word meanings crop up here and there in Pennance; therefore, it’s interesting how Ms. Ashton contrasts the meaning of the name Sophia with Sophia the actual character.)
The chemistry between Lucy and Karen doesn’t leap off the pages, but it's there. The beginning of their relationship is reminiscent of the phrase “misery loves company.” In Lucy and Karen’s case, their miseries grow into an intimate bond made of hope, absolution, and possible happiness. There is also a sense of desperation for Lucy and Karen in that their relationship is seen as being dangerous and reckless based on the town’s perceived status quo.
On a side note, Ms. Ashton has a talent for creating and bending the setting to her will. I’m the first to admit I have little patience when it comes to reading the description of a place or scene and skip ahead to the dialogue and action. However, with Pennance, the setting is an integral part of the story, not a separate element. Yeah, there is some telling in the beginning, but phrases such as buildings looked like miserable animals, weak rays of sun, and large dark clouds, which are mentioned throughout the story enhance the drama/conflict and keeps me turning the pages.
Overall, great story. There’s romance, some angst, and a series of mysterious events that’ll have you asking/guessing who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Pennance was Clare Ashton’s debut novel and okay, maybe it’s not as polished as her later works, it is still powerful enough to knock your socks off. Don’t expect a comfortable read though. Her main character Lucy is dealing with some serious issues in the aftermath of a very traumatic car accident that injured her and killed her partner Jake. A large part of the book is basically Lucy surviving, stuck in limbo, paralyzed with PTSD, survivor’s guilt and loneliness, stuck with the ghost of Jake in that filthy, cold cottage. It’s only after her new neighbor Karen arrives on the scene that Lucy’s life starts to get color again.
This was a re-read for me, this time with Book Club Buddie D. We were both sucked into a quagmire of angst, this intense bleakness that Ashton expertly doles out by the bucket load. You cannot get further removed from her rom-coms That Certain Something and Poppy Jenkins than this, but if you put your big girl pants on and stick with Lucy and Karen ‘till the end, it will be a most satisfying journey. Highly recommend.
f/f
Themes: suspended life, PTSD, everything is grey until Karen arrives, but oh that creepy child of hers.
5 stars
This was a re-read for me, this time with Book Club Buddie D. We were both sucked into a quagmire of angst, this intense bleakness that Ashton expertly doles out by the bucket load. You cannot get further removed from her rom-coms That Certain Something and Poppy Jenkins than this, but if you put your big girl pants on and stick with Lucy and Karen ‘till the end, it will be a most satisfying journey. Highly recommend.
f/f
Themes: suspended life, PTSD, everything is grey until Karen arrives, but oh that creepy child of hers.
5 stars
I dropped a star because of the open ending. I've read 3 novels from Ms. Ashton, and this is the second one that does that. I hope ( and have every confidence) she can get past that.
Because the writing is beautiful.
Edit: Do NOT read this spoiler if you want to read this book.
Several hours after I read this book, something kept nagging me. Let me say that this is fiction, the author can write anything she wants, and if it's well done and plausable, that's ok. So maybe I am just overthinking this, but if you're able to write three dimensial characters and their inner turmoil as Ms. Ashton did with Lucy and find reasonable solutions to her problems, I expect you do the same with secondary characters. And it's a secondary character and the way it's handled that has me thinking something is really wrong with this book.
I'm talking about Sophia, Karen's daughter. She's 12, and she has some serious problems. The way she is handled is bullshit. The solution here is her father gets custody and she goes to live with him. All is well.
NO.
Sophia has a deep hatred for her mother and resents her brother. I suppose I csn't really blame her, after all, those two are in her mind responsible for her parent's failed marriage. But her actions show that there is more. It isn't really apparent at first (there are some red herrings that point to other people). In hindsight, it's obvious who has broken into Lucy's cottage and sent her the doll. But, let's be honest here, Sophia not only tried to kill Lucy, it's clear as well the accident with George on the cliff wasn't really an accident. It was an attempt to get rid of George.
So we have a twelve year old with some psychopathical tendencies and two attempts at murder. And the author's solution to all this, is have her live with her father (who himself doen't seem to be happy at all with any of his kids) and Karen and Lucy can happily live their lives.
That doesn't sit well with me. I think this is a very lame attempt to bring conclusion to a story without going to something more complicated. If Sophia was an adult, I could settle with this. But the kid is twelve and in my opinion needs professional help. In my opinion, Lucy didn't do anyone a favor by deleting the evidence.
It seems that Ms. Ashton didn't dare going there, in favor of a HEA. That is not good writing. The same happened with After Mrs. Hamilton. There was a nasty situation there as well, but was completely dropped for the same HEA.
I really hope that in future novels, Ms. Ashton finds a way to, if she creates a difficult situation, to bring those to a satifactory conclusion, even if that would stand in the way of a HEA.
Because the writing is beautiful.
Edit: Do NOT read this spoiler if you want to read this book.
Several hours after I read this book, something kept nagging me. Let me say that this is fiction, the author can write anything she wants, and if it's well done and plausable, that's ok. So maybe I am just overthinking this, but if you're able to write three dimensial characters and their inner turmoil as Ms. Ashton did with Lucy and find reasonable solutions to her problems, I expect you do the same with secondary characters. And it's a secondary character and the way it's handled that has me thinking something is really wrong with this book.
NO.
Sophia has a deep hatred for her mother and resents her brother. I suppose I csn't really blame her, after all, those two are in her mind responsible for her parent's failed marriage. But her actions show that there is more. It isn't really apparent at first (there are some red herrings that point to other people). In hindsight, it's obvious who has broken into Lucy's cottage and sent her the doll. But, let's be honest here, Sophia not only tried to kill Lucy, it's clear as well the accident with George on the cliff wasn't really an accident. It was an attempt to get rid of George.
So we have a twelve year old with some psychopathical tendencies and two attempts at murder. And the author's solution to all this, is have her live with her father (who himself doen't seem to be happy at all with any of his kids) and Karen and Lucy can happily live their lives.
That doesn't sit well with me. I think this is a very lame attempt to bring conclusion to a story without going to something more complicated. If Sophia was an adult, I could settle with this. But the kid is twelve and in my opinion needs professional help. In my opinion, Lucy didn't do anyone a favor by deleting the evidence.
It seems that Ms. Ashton didn't dare going there, in favor of a HEA. That is not good writing. The same happened with After Mrs. Hamilton. There was a nasty situation there as well, but was completely dropped for the same HEA.
I really hope that in future novels, Ms. Ashton finds a way to, if she creates a difficult situation, to bring those to a satifactory conclusion, even if that would stand in the way of a HEA.