Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - Penance

A girl has been set on fire by three school friends, resulting in her death. Almost ten years after the fact, after the rise of the true crime podcast, a journalist is diving into the story by interviewing relatives and friends of the victim and the perpetrators. The mystery surrounding Joan's death and the obscurity of the case due to the media's preoccupation with the Brexit Referendum at the time of her death makes it an interesting case to investigate. But how much of the truth does he uncover?

I buddy-read this with Vera, and damn, did it make for some interesting discussion!

An intensely slow burn, this book takes its sweet time uncovering all the details.

Or should I say lack thereof.

The set-up of the book is quite interesting, alternating between podcast transcripts, interviews, and chapters written by the journalist based on stories he heard from his interviewees, piecing together parts of a fragmented history.

As far as unreliable narrators go, this book is top-notch. It gives you enough to keep you wanting to read more, discover new bits, and see what else happens. And nothing does really. At the end of the book, you're not more in the know than when you read the prologue. And worse: a lot of it seems to be made up.

In terms of creating suspense and intrigue, Eliza Clark does a masterful job. The book is definitely a page-turner, but

the lack of a conclusion or a major twist at the end (apart from the fact that the author has made a lot of the things in the story up), made the book feel not completely done by the end of it.

It is an excellent work of criticism on the fanaticism about true crime stories, and how the families of both victims and perpetrators are exploited for the sake of sensational stories. The insensitivity of the journalists and, even worse, the podcasters was portrayed so well.

But it is also an account of obsessions, internet fandoms, teenage loneliness, social media as a breeding ground for radicalization, and the oppressive feel of living and aging in a small town.

I loved this, and am very curious to read more by Eliza Clark.

Content Warnings

krispomatic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

alright, i was shocked at how much i loved this. to put it bluntly, i loathed boy parts, but i wanted to give eliza clark a second chance — and i was pleasantly surprised.

this book had incredible worldbuilding and the characters were fleshed out, including the journalist. this is a novel about the exploitation of tragedy and the cruelty of teenage girls, and how often things can be blown out of proportion by pure hysteria. i’m looking forward to clark’s next release.

Content Warnings