Penance

‘An unmissable banger that you need to preorder immediately.’ ALICE SLATER
‘You’ve never read anything like this.’ JULIA ARMFIELD
‘A meta-meditation on the mysteries, malice, and minutiae of adolescence.’ TOM BENN
‘One of the summer’s most talked-about books.’ SUNDAY TIMES

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 nearly a decade 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?

‘Deeply disturbing and hilarious.’ IMOGEN CRIMP
‘Insanely propulsive . . . She’s a master of structure that Clark.’ JENNY MUSTARD
A GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST 2023

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:
‘This will no doubt be THE book of the summer. You need to pre-order this NOW.’ @books.with.han
‘Once again, Eliza Clark conjures her dark magic to pen something disturbing and addictive.’ @mostardentlyalice
‘Eliza’s writing is pure brilliance and she captivates you with every page.’ @zoreadsbooks
‘Taking aim at our relationship with true crime, the brutality of teenage girls and classicism, it was easily my favourite read of 2023 so far.’ @charlotte__reads_
‘So cleverly written I am mind blown.’ @jordslibrary
‘Eliza Clark is a genius.’ @mydarkgrace
**Eliza Clark’s incendiary debut, Boy Parts, is available now**