'A gripping page-turner and a loving exploration of what it really means to forgive' MARY BETH KEANE, bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes
'Wise and profound' CLAIRE MESSUD, bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children
Are you more than the worst thing you have ever done, or are some things too terrible to forgive?
When teenager Nora Sheehan fatally shoots her brother Nico in their family home one evening, her parents’ lives are left shattered. Nico had been diagnosed with a terminal illness – was what Nora did an act of mercy, or something far darker? And what will happen to her now, alone in a juvenile detention centre awaiting trial, unable or unwilling to speak?
Out of their depth, Angie and David Sheehan turn to local lawyer Martine Dumont for help. Martine isn’t just legal counsel – she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, now a high-powered New York defence attorney who returns to their rural Colorado hometown to assist with the case.
But Julian’s arrival stirs up secrets buried in his and Angie’s past – mistakes with far-reaching and damaging consequences. And as the verdict that will decide Nora's fate looms, the two families find themselves confronted with the same heart-wrenching questions: what will they will fight to hold on to, and what must they be prepared to let go?
Riveting and poignant, Penitence is an unforgettable story of love and grief, guilt and forgiveness, that establishes Kristin Koval as a must-read author for fans of Celeste Ng, Mary Beth Keane, Jodi Picoult and Ann Patchett.
Genre: Mystery
'Wise and profound' CLAIRE MESSUD, bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children
Are you more than the worst thing you have ever done, or are some things too terrible to forgive?
When teenager Nora Sheehan fatally shoots her brother Nico in their family home one evening, her parents’ lives are left shattered. Nico had been diagnosed with a terminal illness – was what Nora did an act of mercy, or something far darker? And what will happen to her now, alone in a juvenile detention centre awaiting trial, unable or unwilling to speak?
Out of their depth, Angie and David Sheehan turn to local lawyer Martine Dumont for help. Martine isn’t just legal counsel – she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, now a high-powered New York defence attorney who returns to their rural Colorado hometown to assist with the case.
But Julian’s arrival stirs up secrets buried in his and Angie’s past – mistakes with far-reaching and damaging consequences. And as the verdict that will decide Nora's fate looms, the two families find themselves confronted with the same heart-wrenching questions: what will they will fight to hold on to, and what must they be prepared to let go?
Riveting and poignant, Penitence is an unforgettable story of love and grief, guilt and forgiveness, that establishes Kristin Koval as a must-read author for fans of Celeste Ng, Mary Beth Keane, Jodi Picoult and Ann Patchett.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Big-hearted, bold, and deftly plotted, Penitence tells a shocking tale of fratricide against the backdrop of two families linked by love, chance, and tragedy. I couldn't put it down. Kristin Koval emerges as a remarkable new voice in fiction." - Adrienne Brodeur
"This story begins with a shocking act of violence but unfolds into a tender story of family, long-held secrets, and what ifs. Penitence is both a gripping page-turner and a loving exploration of what it really means to forgive." - Mary Beth Keane
"Penitence, riveting as a thriller, is a wise and profound novel. After a shocking tragedy unfolds in a small Colorado community, those intimately affected must grapple with their limitations and their buried histories. Kristin Koval relays their stories with great wisdom and compassion in this remarkable debut." - Claire Messud
"Kristin Koval's prose is crisp and readable and insightful... Penitence will grab you on its first page and hold you tight until the end." - Laura Spence-Ash
"Deeply humane, spiky, yearning, heartfelt, rendered in brisk and often stunning prose, Kristin Koval's Penitence poses so many rich and complicated questions about where and how guilt lives." - Lynn Steger Strong
"This story begins with a shocking act of violence but unfolds into a tender story of family, long-held secrets, and what ifs. Penitence is both a gripping page-turner and a loving exploration of what it really means to forgive." - Mary Beth Keane
"Penitence, riveting as a thriller, is a wise and profound novel. After a shocking tragedy unfolds in a small Colorado community, those intimately affected must grapple with their limitations and their buried histories. Kristin Koval relays their stories with great wisdom and compassion in this remarkable debut." - Claire Messud
"Kristin Koval's prose is crisp and readable and insightful... Penitence will grab you on its first page and hold you tight until the end." - Laura Spence-Ash
"Deeply humane, spiky, yearning, heartfelt, rendered in brisk and often stunning prose, Kristin Koval's Penitence poses so many rich and complicated questions about where and how guilt lives." - Lynn Steger Strong
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