A review by baielleebooks
Penance by Eliza Clark
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Penance is dynamic in its structure and blooms royally in relation to how of contemporary prominence it feels. A great novel exploring the egregiousness of creators and writers mining into real human suffering for the sake of intellectual propriety and fame.
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There is a real sense of embeddedess in the way Clark writes; in passages of representing darker internet subcultures to the humourous and complicated renderings of English village living to Carelli's enraging fallacies conjured around terms like 'plasticity' and 'emotional truth' that strike a chord with the current political moment.
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My only minor gripe is Angelica as a significant feature of the novel doesn't necessarily feel as flesh and blood as other characters. Penance's literary vision makes us aware that these characters come into being through Carelli's warped presentations of them, yet I still feel that Angelica doesn't necessarily harmonise as well in the book's broader framing.
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Overall, Penance dazzles and is definitely a book I am chomping at the bit to reccomend to friends. Tackling with embodiedness and deftness the muddy relationships people can share with truth and the gritty morbidity of human fascination.
-
There is a real sense of embeddedess in the way Clark writes; in passages of representing darker internet subcultures to the humourous and complicated renderings of English village living to Carelli's enraging fallacies conjured around terms like 'plasticity' and 'emotional truth' that strike a chord with the current political moment.
-
My only minor gripe is Angelica as a significant feature of the novel doesn't necessarily feel as flesh and blood as other characters. Penance's literary vision makes us aware that these characters come into being through Carelli's warped presentations of them, yet I still feel that Angelica doesn't necessarily harmonise as well in the book's broader framing.
-
Overall, Penance dazzles and is definitely a book I am chomping at the bit to reccomend to friends. Tackling with embodiedness and deftness the muddy relationships people can share with truth and the gritty morbidity of human fascination.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence