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signeskov'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
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
arayo's review
- 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
sophie______a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
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
- 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
bionicfox666's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
whoisrois's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Racism, Rape, Islamophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Classism
laran_s's review
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Torture, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism
caissa_chthonia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide