When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, their lives are shattered. Desperate to defend their family, they turn to small-town lawyer Martine Dumont for help, but Martine isn’t just legal counsel—she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, a now-successful New York City criminal defense attorney. As Julian and Angie confront their shared past and long-buried guilt from a tragic accident years ago, they must navigate their own culpability and the unresolved feelings between them.
Spanning decades, from the ski slopes of rural Colorado to the streets of pre-9/11 New York City and back again, Kristin Koval’s debut novel Penitence is an examination of the complexities of familial loyalty, the journey of redemption, and the profound experience of true forgiveness.
Penitence is an emotional slow-burn literary mystery and the debut novel from Kristen Koval. The story has central themes of family, guilt, and the complexities of forgiveness. Set in the small Colorado town of Lodgepole, the story starts with high drama: 13-year-old Nora Sheehan fatally shoots her 14-year-old brother, Nico, and then calls 911, claiming she cannot remember what happened. As her parents, Angie and David, grapple with this tragedy, they seek legal help from Martine Dumont, a local attorney and the mother of Angie’s former high school boyfriend, Julian. Knowing she lacks the expertise to handle a murder case, she asks Julian, now a defense attorney in NYC, to help. Julian’s return to the town reopens old wounds from the past.
The story is multi-layered and unfolds through multiple timelines—a main timeline detailing everything and everyone surrounding Nora’s present-day legal battle and past timelines of flashbacks, mostly related to the tragic death of Angie’s younger sister, Diana, in a skiing accident. Readers will be desperate to find out the rationale behind the shooting, but don’t expect reveals like in a twisty thriller; instead, be prepared for the gradual unfolding of pieces to a complex story.
All the characters in this book are richly detailed, harbor secrets, and have regrets. Although the story centers around Nora, she’s not the main protagonist, but she is a complex and puzzling teenager. She doesn’t speak for the first half of the book, and when she finally does, her memory of the incident is fragmented and doesn’t offer answers that readers may expect or be eager for. What makes her compelling is her ownership of her actions and acceptance of her fate—also making her seem older than her years.
Angie is probably the closest to a main protagonist in this book. Her relationship with Julian, in both past and present timelines, will have readers fully invested in them—especially in wanting to know where they went wrong. But don’t fret—their story is fully fleshed out in flashbacks. As they confront their shared past, the novel explores the weight of long-held secrets, the complexities of guilt, and the possibility of forgiveness. Angie’s mother, a devout Italian Catholic, is another major figure in her life. Much of her decision-making in her younger years was directly affected by her mother’s beliefs, especially after the death of Diana. There’s a lot of authentic and emotional family drama in their dialogue, and readers who have similar parent/child relationships will be hanging on to every word!
This is a slow-burn, character-driven literary fiction suspense story. If you’re expecting twists or edge-of-your-seat thrills or to be able to neatly classify this book into a specific genre, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, this story offers compelling multi-generational family drama, an exploration into the juvenile justice system, and thought-provoking moral dilemmas faced by its characters. Many of the major plot points highlight the weight of the characters’ past actions, especially in relation to Angie’s and Julian’s involvement in Diana’s death, and the question of forgiveness is a major topic—for this reason, this is a perfect choice to discuss at a book club!
Overall, Kristen Koval’s debut is a thought-provoking and emotional tale delving into everything that makes us human: relationships, mistakes, generational fear/trauma, anger, forgiveness, and so much more! Readers who love rich characters, emotional family drama, slow-burn suspense, and stories that linger will love this book!
Narrator Performace
The audiobook of Penitence is an engrossing listen narrated by the incredibly talented Thérèse Plummer! From the prologue to the very last chapter, Plummer creates an atmosphere of tension and suspense, bringing the story and its characters vividly to life. Her portrayal of protagonist Angie is infused with raw and authentic emotion, making the character relatable and easy to empathize with, especially in her very difficult situation. The dialogue between Angie and Julian, in flashback sequences and the present-day timeline, is a focal point of the story. Plummer makes their chemistry palpable, their heated arguments intoxicating, and the guilt and grief that keep them separated a tangible entity that listeners can feel in the undercurrents of their communication. It’s a standout performance that will keep listeners hanging on to every word!
Plummer delivers ALL of the emotions through the many different relationships in the story. Aside from Julian, Angie’s relationship with her mother is the next most compelling. Anyone who’s been raised in a family or culture with rigid belief systems causing animosity between parent and child will relate to their relationship. Plummer’s top-notch acting skills perfectly convey all the drama and make evident Angie’s unconditional love for her mother, despite their differences and wrongdoings—right up until her mother’s difficult end, their conversations are delivered heartfeltly and bittersweetly, so be sure to have some tissues on hand!
Plummer also provides distinct voices to the great variety of characters, including an authentic-sounding voice for 13-year-old Nora and convincing and distinguishable voices for the male characters—it all adds up to a very immersive and addictive listening experience that you would normally get from a multicast audiobook!
Overall, the author’s compelling storytelling writing, coupled with Plummer’s outstanding narration and acting skills, keeps listeners fully captivated throughout the 12-hour run time. Readers who enjoy richly depicted characters, emotional family drama, and slow-burn atmospheric suspense will love this audiobook!
Narrator Performace
The audiobook of Penitence is an engrossing listen narrated by the incredibly talented Thérèse Plummer! From the prologue to the very last chapter, Plummer creates an atmosphere of tension and suspense, bringing the story and its characters vividly to life. Her portrayal of protagonist Angie is infused with raw and authentic emotion, making the character relatable and easy to empathize with, especially in her very difficult situation. The dialogue between Angie and Julian, in flashback sequences and the present-day timeline, is a focal point of the story. Plummer makes their chemistry palpable, their heated arguments intoxicating, and the guilt and grief that keep them separated a tangible entity that listeners can feel in the undercurrents of their communication. It’s a standout performance that will keep listeners hanging on to every word!
Plummer delivers ALL of the emotions through the many different relationships in the story. Aside from Julian, Angie’s relationship with her mother is the next most compelling. Anyone who’s been raised in a family or culture with rigid belief systems causing animosity between parent and child will relate to their relationship. Plummer’s top-notch acting skills perfectly convey all the drama and make evident Angie’s unconditional love for her mother, despite their differences and wrongdoings—right up until her mother’s difficult end, their conversations are delivered heartfeltly and bittersweetly, so be sure to have some tissues on hand!
Plummer also provides distinct voices to the great variety of characters, including an authentic-sounding voice for 13-year-old Nora and convincing and distinguishable voices for the male characters—it all adds up to a very immersive and addictive listening experience that you would normally get from a multicast audiobook!
Overall, the author’s compelling storytelling writing, coupled with Plummer’s outstanding narration and acting skills, keeps listeners fully captivated throughout the 12-hour run time. Readers who enjoy richly depicted characters, emotional family drama, and slow-burn atmospheric suspense will love this audiobook!
The audiobook of Penitence is an engrossing listen narrated by the incredibly talented Thérèse Plummer! From the prologue to the very last chapter, Plummer creates an atmosphere of tension and suspense, bringing the story and its characters vividly to life. Her portrayal of protagonist Angie is infused with raw and authentic emotion, making the character relatable and easy to empathize with, especially in her very difficult situation. The dialogue between Angie and Julian, in flashback sequences and the present-day timeline, is a focal point of the story. Plummer makes their chemistry palpable, their heated arguments intoxicating, and the guilt and grief that keep them separated a tangible entity that listeners can feel in the undercurrents of their communication. It’s a standout performance that will keep listeners hanging on to every word!
Plummer delivers ALL of the emotions through the many different relationships in the story. Aside from Julian, Angie’s relationship with her mother is the next most compelling. Anyone who’s been raised in a family or culture with rigid belief systems causing animosity between parent and child will relate to their relationship. Plummer’s top-notch acting skills perfectly convey all the drama and make evident Angie’s unconditional love for her mother, despite their differences and wrongdoings—right up until her mother’s difficult end, their conversations are delivered heartfeltly and bittersweetly, so be sure to have some tissues on hand!
Plummer also provides distinct voices to the great variety of characters, including an authentic-sounding voice for 13-year-old Nora and convincing and distinguishable voices for the male characters—it all adds up to a very immersive and addictive listening experience that you would normally get from a multicast audiobook!
Overall, the author’s compelling storytelling writing, coupled with Plummer’s outstanding narration and acting skills, keeps listeners fully captivated throughout the 12-hour run time. Readers who enjoy richly depicted characters, emotional family drama, and slow-burn atmospheric suspense will love this audiobook!
