Penitence: A Novel

This crime/mystery novel, set in Colorado and New York, spans decades. A horrific murder happens in Angie and David Sheehan’s home as they sleep and their lives will never be the same. They hire local attorney Martine Dumont for help. Martine is the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, and the two families share a tragic, difficult past. Julian is a criminal lawyer in New York and they eventually need to ask him for help, much to Angie’s dismay. The characters grapple with secrets, shame, guilt, regret, love, and unresolved feelings.

The novel flashes backward and forward in time but is never hard to follow. The writing style is straightforward. The subject matter is dark and heavy for the most part, but there is a big focus on forgiveness. There is a considerable amount of information on the laws regarding minors and the conditions young inmates face while in custody. This was interesting (and sad) to learn. I wish there had been more focus on Nora and figuring out why she did what she did, but I think I understand the author’s reasoning for leaving it the way she did. I like the character development of all the characters. They feel real to me, all making some progress, but maybe not quite getting to where they want to be. Overall, I loved it!

This is a legal thriller. It dealt with a 13 yr old murdering her 14th brother. Should the juvenile be tried as an adult or a juvenile court? It deals with family drama and the legal drama. I really enjoyed it.

The book dragged a bit towards the end but I do think it was an interesting study in forgiveness.

This was a very different book for me, I got it as my Feb BOTM and read for a book club with my mom and her friends. Overall I do feel like it was a 3.75 ⭐️ on Fable but earned a round up to 4 ⭐️ on Goodreads so an 8 here I guess The first 2/3 of the book are a bit slow and it is heavy from literally page 1, but it sets up the final 1/3 of the book so well it’s worth it I would say. This book had me feeling deep feels and thinking deep thoughts about family relationships and the turns our lives take. And our choices we make in them that hurt others. This book is very dense emotionally, sometimes felt like wading through chest deep mud. But ultimately, I felt a lot of feelings in this book and I cried in the last page and half. The message of “You are more than the worst thing you’ve ever done” will probably stick with me for the rest of my life, as will the idea of “what kind of parent/family member do I want to be? Am I ready to be?” I also think the idea that refusing to feel our grief and cope can turn to anger and how that can permeate and affect our life if we let it is really really powerful. The writing is really good and amidst the time and 3rd person POV jumps, it does make the story work really well and feel like you have all the information to feel and follow the characters and what’s happening. Many thought provoking thoughts and takes on grief, mistakes, and justice that also spoke to me. Overall, this book is heavy but I liked the characters and lessons I felt in this book. Truly thought provoking and a great debut novel. That being said, imma head back over to fantasy land because this was too real for me in the anxiety fueled nightmare that is living in the US in February/March 2025 lol

As soon as you begin reading, this book begins with a serious gut punch, unfolding a peek into the tragic event that has taken place just the night before. The story centers around the Sheehan, DeLuca, and Dumont families as they navigate love, loss, grief, and forgiveness that will have you on a wild roller coaster of emotions. I love that the author, Kristin Koval, wastes no time at diving into the characters, showing intricacies of an interwoven web of past and present relationships. As a wife and mother myself, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be Angie & David trying to navigate such a difficult position as a unified front. All the characters are flawed, messy, and raw making them feel genuinely real like a stranger you could pass on the street. There are so many pieces to this puzzle that will keep you yearning for the next page. I won’t lie, the last few pages had me on the verge of tears but in a the story came full circle kind of way. This was a hard read but it was powerful and cathartic. Kristin Koval came out of the gate swinging in her debut novel, and I look forward to what she writes next. I would highly recommend this book to others!