A review by serendipitysbooks
Penance by Eliza Clark

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

4.25

 Penance is a wonderfully engaging, multilayered fictional true crime novel. It looks at the dark side of the internet - tumblr fandoms as echo chambers - and what can happen when relationships among teenage girls go bad. There' s a focus on class, and Clark has fun with the unreliable narrator trope and the exploitative aspects of the fascination with true crime. I enjoyed the multimedia aspects and the novel as a whole, although sometimes it felt a little long and overly detailed, something that could have been a deliberate, conscious choice. Be warned - the opening section is graphic and tough to read, but it is worth persevering. Great storytelling and thoroughly absorbing. I couldn't look away.
 
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