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A review by afrathefish
Penance by Eliza Clark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
copied from GR
pretty much everything i love in a book, possibly worth 5*s, i think i just need a minute to like . let it marinate.
this is so fucking meta it’s driving me insane? a story criticising the exploitation of true crime while exploiting true crime. it’s so fucking circular, it feels like you’re reading about a snake eating itself.
it was incredible at describing the female teen experience, especially in the early 2010s. the way conformity and acceptance were gods everyone felt like they had to yield to, and the subtle forms of cruelty that come about in striving to achieve such feats. the way many of us who could not conform fled to online forms and fandoms, what fandom and these niche little interests meant for many of us and how that gave people places where they felt safe. the specific fascination of true crime in teen girls, and how unregulated algorithms pushing such content can push people into extremes. also the fucking accurate ass representation of being raised in a small seaside town????? excuse me???? all of these things are so deeply personal to me, it was crazy how much this book meant to me.
also the facets on true crime and true crime consumption in of itself, it needs a thesis as i don’t think i can properly carve out everything here. the ending drives you insane, you notice that the narrator is unreliable many many times but youre morbidly obsessed with everything happening that you pass it off as the truth. you believe the protagonist because of how much research he seemingly has done.. and then …. yeah . the critique on true crime consumption ,,,, i think the only avenue it could have further looked at is why people consume true crime, beyond “omg we all love evil shit secretly”. there’s a lot of nuance to it, sure, but how and why has it become a safe space for so many people? also the quote “get off your high horse you’re reading school shooter fanfiction” will not leave my head, iconic.
also the way this case felt so real, including the shitty small seaside town experience ???? i can’t even explain like i’ve kept googling every facet of this book and it’s all fictional?? are you insane???
there’s so much more to say but more than anything, eliza clark is a bloody genius. this is so insanely good, and both an autopsy and a call out to my teen years.
PS !! BASTARD PROTAGONIST DOES EVERYTHING HE CRITIQUES AGAINST ??? THIS BOOK IS TOO FUCKING META FOR me
pretty much everything i love in a book, possibly worth 5*s, i think i just need a minute to like . let it marinate.
this is so fucking meta it’s driving me insane? a story criticising the exploitation of true crime while exploiting true crime. it’s so fucking circular, it feels like you’re reading about a snake eating itself.
it was incredible at describing the female teen experience, especially in the early 2010s. the way conformity and acceptance were gods everyone felt like they had to yield to, and the subtle forms of cruelty that come about in striving to achieve such feats. the way many of us who could not conform fled to online forms and fandoms, what fandom and these niche little interests meant for many of us and how that gave people places where they felt safe. the specific fascination of true crime in teen girls, and how unregulated algorithms pushing such content can push people into extremes. also the fucking accurate ass representation of being raised in a small seaside town????? excuse me???? all of these things are so deeply personal to me, it was crazy how much this book meant to me.
also the facets on true crime and true crime consumption in of itself, it needs a thesis as i don’t think i can properly carve out everything here. the ending drives you insane, you notice that the narrator is unreliable many many times but youre morbidly obsessed with everything happening that you pass it off as the truth. you believe the protagonist because of how much research he seemingly has done.. and then …. yeah . the critique on true crime consumption ,,,, i think the only avenue it could have further looked at is why people consume true crime, beyond “omg we all love evil shit secretly”. there’s a lot of nuance to it, sure, but how and why has it become a safe space for so many people? also the quote “get off your high horse you’re reading school shooter fanfiction” will not leave my head, iconic.
also the way this case felt so real, including the shitty small seaside town experience ???? i can’t even explain like i’ve kept googling every facet of this book and it’s all fictional?? are you insane???
there’s so much more to say but more than anything, eliza clark is a bloody genius. this is so insanely good, and both an autopsy and a call out to my teen years.
PS !! BASTARD PROTAGONIST DOES EVERYTHING HE CRITIQUES AGAINST ??? THIS BOOK IS TOO FUCKING META FOR me