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Penance
- Narrated by: Anna Gilthorpe, Emily Goldie, Evie Hargreaves, George Weightman, Holly Jay Bowes, Salima Saxton
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
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Penance
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Summary
A GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST 2023
Do you know what happened already?
Did you know her?
Did you see it on the internet?
Did you listen to a podcast?
Did the hosts make jokes?
Did you see the pictures of the body?
Did you look for them?
It's been years since the horrifying murder of sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson rocked Crow-on-Sea, and the events of that terrible night are now being published for the first time.
That story is Penance, a dizzying feat of masterful storytelling, where Eliza Clark manoeuvres us through accounts from the inhabitants of this small seaside town. Placing us in the capable hands of journalist Alec. Z. Carelli, Clark allows him to construct what he claims is the 'definitive account' of the murder - and what led up to it. Built on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves, the result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.
The only question is: how much of it is true?
Critic reviews
'One of the summer's most talked-about books.' Sunday Times
'An unmissable banger that you need to preorder immediately.' Alice Slater
'You've never read anything like this.' Julia Armfield
What listeners say about Penance
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S A HAVERY
- 20-08-23
Excellent story and performance
Novel is presented in the form of a true crime novel written by a disgraced journalist. This is (in my experience anyway) a new, relevant and exciting way to present a tale of what is ostensibly a “mean girl” murder that is, of course, anything but that once the writer delves into the backgrounds of the murderers. Very well read by the performers (maybe the podcasts could have been replicated with some American accents?!) the novel moves at a great pace, never lagging and leaving the reader (listener) wanting more. Had I had the pleasure of reading this on a sunny holiday rather than listening during a chaotic house move I am sure I would have devoured it within a couple of days. Brilliant work by the author I look forward to her next work.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 18-11-23
Brilliant
Loved every second of this. Really left like I was inhabiting this dreadful seaside town
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Katie Smith
- 22-03-24
.
…. Z…. …. … and you know it was a lie that you didn’t get the job and you were just a bunch more stupid and dumb than the people
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-01-24
Deeply underwhelming
What a disappointment. Kept hoping for it to turn into something more, but it never did.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jay
- 21-08-23
Excellent
Great story that keeps you gripped till the end, really making you think about true crime and obsession surrounding it.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 18-04-24
5 out of 5
I really enjoyed this audio book. It’s definitely disturbing but thought provoking at the same time. I love Eliza Clark’s writing and the narrators were great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kristibelle
- 07-07-23
Loved this
This book chews you up and spits you back out. Brilliant again from Eliza Clark.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John B
- 08-02-24
I loved her first book and I loved this too
I read some negative reviews of Penance, but went in with an open mind and was relieved to find everything that made Boy Parts so compelling.
The characters aren't just containers for some point the author wants to make. We're provided with information about their actions, their motivations and circumstances that may or may not be mitigating without the author putting her thumb on the scale and trying to persuade us that someone is Good or Bad.
The dialogue and way people interact has a remarkable ring of truth too, which is so refreshing in a novel about internet culture. I've read so many novels about "the internet" where it seems the author's research comes mostly from their own preconceived notions of teenage boys who used computers in the 90s. Eliza Clark knows the language and customs of Reddit and other internet fora dedicated to True Crime like a native and it shows.
This isn't an easy book to read or listen to (although the narration was, for the most part, really good) and some people might not be interested in the topic.
Personally, I thought it was an incredible story of people and how and why they can do the most evil and unthinkable acts for the most stupidest and pointless reasons, ruining so many lives in the process.
Can't wait for the next one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura Isabella
- 21-04-24
stunning audiobook
brilliant — works so well as audiobook and is also excellent conceptually. really enjoyed this so much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-23
Innovative and compelling
I pre-ordered this as I loved Boy Parts. This was very different but truly a great book. Gets in to the kind of ordinary people who can do terrible stuff things. Eliza Clark is a real talent
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2 people found this helpful