Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Penance by Eliza Clark

53 reviews

bethsreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Penance is a disturbing and macabre fictional true crime novel ‘written’ by a disgraced journalist about three girls murdering their schoolmate in a small seaside town. 

One of the novel’s focal points is exploring the ethics of the true crime genre, particularly the exploitative aspects. A true crime story is so easy to get pulled into, as it offers some of the most extreme and disturbing corners of humanity; but it is important to stop and think: how true is true? Having two writers of the book, Clark herself and the journalist in the story writing the book, adds an extra layer of authorial distortion, demanding you constantly question the legitimacy and trustworthiness of every word you consume.

I particularly love writing that refuses to sit idly within binaries and instead adventures around all the boundaries of a topic, and this book does that. From the subject matter, it seems like there would be an obvious right and wrong, and while there is in the grand scheme of things, the layers and nuances offer a much more complex story. Clark, in my opinion, is quite clear in her stances, but they are thoughtful, balanced opinions that filter in through the story while still leaving room for personal moral engagement as the reader. 

I think Clark also does a fantastic job of depicting teenage-hood, especially in the mid 2010s, and the involvement of the internet at the time. Tumblr basically being a main character really transported me back to what teenage life was like in 2015.  

I did feel like there was perhaps some unnecessary historical backstory to the town, which did enrich the story and make it feel like a real place, but felt somewhat too much at times and I think some parts could’ve been edited down to streamline things a little. 

Overall this was an incredible story and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time! As a warning though, please be sure to check the content warnings first as it covers some difficult topics (though I believe it handles them all well and with respect). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder and Vomit

sarahrosebooknook's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was interestingly done as it modeled a true crime documentary. The amount of things that I learned about teens and the depths of the internet make me really afraid for my kids in the future. I probably would have rates it a 4.5 but the last 50 pages or so are packed with so many trigger warnings. It left me with a knot in my stomach. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

zoebill96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

matilda_holroyd_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Not my style of book dark and depressing and was hoping for a big twist that didn’t come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicide, Vomit, and Pregnancy

Minor: Eating disorder and Self harm

laurataylor's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

chronicacademia's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An incredible, uncomfortable, horrifying dissection of the true crime genre and its “fandoms.” A must read for anyone who consumes true crime. 

Adding a content warning for necrophilia as well as the content warnings listed below. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sarah984's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.0

This book was fine, it captured the voices of the teens and (most of) the internet culture of the era really well, but I do think it fell into its own trap a bit in over focusing on the perpetrators without a lot of self awareness, and a few things about the internet culture of the time are inaccurate in a way that annoyed me (especially the assertion about ao3 because I think the truth actually adds to the book's point). The twist is so obvious from pretty much the beginning that the epilogue feels like a joke.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mattieallen's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Classism

taliakdean's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Racism, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Outing