A review by keliterate
Penance by Eliza Clark

5.0

Masterful.

I had to pause several times and remind myself that Clark was writing in the perspective of an unreliable narrator. That this, in fact, was a work of fiction—because it all felt so real that I actually started questioning my role as a reader.

Much of the book is centered around a grisly murder involving high school social politics—which, as we come to discover, have real, horrible, and devastating effects. I admit that I didn’t know what to expect—this was my first Clark book—but going in blind honestly made for a brilliant read. Clark formulates a narrative as engaging as it is thought-provoking, writing in a style that made me both embarrassed and nostalgic for my own teenage self. She talks tumblr, reddit, and fanfiction here, in a manner akin to experiential history—this is the millennial generation in all its cringey, obsessive glory.

That said, this was absolutely masterful—a lesson in media consumption, perhaps, but also a look into the kind of mental health issues that the older generations cast aside. Through the deeply disturbing character studies (of course, take them with a grain of salt), we see how dangerous seemingly affectatious teenage trends can be; how intergenerational trauma often lends a hand in deepening their effects. Clark also explores a certain kind of classism here—moving beyond juvenile matters and touching on the kind of social separation that exists within Crow-of-Sea.

What stood out for me, in particular, was the reading experience. I devoured this book—I could not put it down. In a way, i felt myself ‘manipulated’ by the narrator, often feeling some kind of sympathy (disturbing, I know) for the different girls described in the story. Perhaps the point was to open up the discussion—to see that faults extend beyond the hand of some delusional teenage girl. Regardless, the ending scene wraps it up nicely, bringing the reader back into reality. It was a wake-up call, almost; a splash of cold water to wake the reader up from a deeply immersive reading experience.

I’m still wrapping my head around the brilliance of it all, if I’m going to be honest. This was so different and unique—a definite call for me to pick up Boy Parts as well.