Penance - Eliza Clark

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 the small seaside town of Crow-on-Sea. Based on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, and even correspondence with the killers themselves, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has constructed what he claims is the 'definitive account' of the crime.

It's a riveting snapshot of lives scarred by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil. The only question is: how much of Carelli's story is true?

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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

'Deeply disturbing and hilarious.' - Imogen Crimp

'Insanely propulsive … She's a master of structure that Clark.' - Jenny Mustard