Penance

An utterly chilling, compulsive story of a murder among teenagers, on the eve of the historic Brexit vote, by a major new voice in British fiction.

A Guardian Best Book of the Year

A Dazed Best Novel of 2023

'An unmissable banger.' ALICE SLATER

'A meta-meditation on the mysteries, malice, and minutiae of adolescence.' TOM BENN

'You've never read anything like this.' JULIA ARMFIELD

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?

'Deeply disturbing and hilarious.' IMOGEN CRIMP

'Insanely propulsive . . . She's a master of structure that Clark.' JENNY MUSTARD

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**

About the Author

Eliza Clark is the author of Boy Parts (2020) and Penance (2023). In 2020 Boy Parts was Blackwell's Fiction book of the year, and in 2022 Eliza was chosen as a finalist for the Women's Prize Futures Award for writers under thirty-five. In 2023 she was named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists. She also writes for film and television. A stage adaptation of Boy Parts premiered at Soho Theatre in October 2023.