Scan barcode
a_dja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Alcohol
carojust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Penance" focuses on the perspectives of four teen girls, schoolmates at a small coastal town in England. They are, at varying degrees, involved in the gruesome demise of Joni, a fellow student in their class.
The layer on top of this plot is that we are reading the POV of a fictional author who has interviewed the characters and researched Joni's case. He's an unreliable narrator to say the least. It's Inception-y, and lets us sit at a distance from the horror, like a sobering buffer.
With this in mind, Clark plays with our sense of what is real and what is not. I found myself Googling events that were completely fictional, though there are references to real platforms, psychopaths, books and a school shooting. This disorients you as a reader, and mimics the delusion and untruthiness taking place with the characters, and true crime in general.
What definitely feels real are the Tumblr posts, and the fangirls who idolize and fictionalize mass murderers. Clark spends a lot of time illustrating this world, and we sit in the discomfort for a while. It's a paradoxically naive and dark place.
I should add, the author purposefully avoids going into specifics of what these characters physically do to Joni
After assessing the TWs, I recommend this book as a dark, brutal, engaging read with the most well-crafted characters I've ever come across. Keep reminding yourself it's fiction, but not really.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cwgraham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
stellahadz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As someone who has admittedly listened to and watched true-crime stories (although I try not to engage with media that is sensationalizing or disrespectful of victims and their families), I noticed almost immediately that
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Torture, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
arayo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
grahammoore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, and Rape
lweezthereadrat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
em815ily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
nialystic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Lesbophobia, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Self harm, Stalking, Outing, and Sexual harassment
elenakperez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism