3.5 stars. Profoundly sad and very well written, Penance is the story of the ripple effect of a murder. After their friend Emily is brutally murdered 3.5 stars. Profoundly sad and very well written, Penance is the story of the ripple effect of a murder. After their friend Emily is brutally murdered by a stranger, Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuko's childhoods will never be the same. When Emily's grieving mother Asako vows revenge, it kicks off an unforgiving spiral of trauma.
“I will never forgive you, unless you find the murderer before the statute of limitations is up. If you can’t do that, then atone for what you’ve done, in a way I’ll accept. If you don’t do either one, I’m telling you here and now—I will have revenge on each and every one of you.”*
*up until 2010 when it was abolished, Japan had a statute of limitations on murder.
Penance is a mosaic novel told from the perspectives of five characters, presented through letters, a PTA meeting, and various interviews / conversations. I wasn't sold right away. Perhaps it was something in translation (I am not fluent in Japanese, so I have no way of knowing really), or just the usual struggles of trying to get into a new book. But I eventually was wooed, for the most part anyway. I think the quiet character work woven into the story was effective.
It was Akiko's section that really got me though. And if I'm being honest, I felt the other sections didn't hit as hard as hers. She's just a child who wants to wear pink and have fun, but her family disregards her at every turn. She comes to truly believe that she's a "bear" who shouldn't have wanted friends or pretty things, blaming herself for Emily's murder.
A bear knows the way a bear’s supposed to live. The one who didn’t know that was me. You have to know your station in life.
This kind of psychological trauma is echoed in different ways in all the sections. The destruction of innocence blooms into years of paralyzing fear, isolation, and desperation. It's tough stuff to read, but rich in emotional resonance.
The concepts of revenge and penance are constantly present, but never in the way you'd expect. It's far from an Emily Thorne style intricate revenge plot.
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The revenge explored here is far less solid - it's a lurking shadow behind these characters, spurring them on toward fear and violence, chaining their traumatic pasts to them. When the novel finally reaches its conclusion, it delivers absolution, but not catharsis. How can it, after all that has happened? It's bittersweet, to be sure.
I can't say I loved Penance, but it is something I'm glad to have read. If you're in the mood for an everlasting childhood trauma with a murder mystery nestled in the background, but one with great character work and solid writing, Penance fits the bill....more
Four stars. Eerie and surprising, The Lost Village is a delightfully atmospheric chiller.
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One of my biggest complaints when it comes to book bluFour stars. Eerie and surprising, The Lost Village is a delightfully atmospheric chiller.
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One of my biggest complaints when it comes to book blurbs, (and yes, I am a specific and petty person who complains about book blurbs), is when they compare them to other popular and successful TV shows, movies, and books. This isn't automatically a negative thing; BUT:
One - you're making me think of a book or movie that I LOVED and setting yourself up a really high bar to clear.
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Two - you're cashing in on a craze of popularity. I mean, if I had a dollar for every book that claimed to be the next Gone Girl, I would be typing this on a platinum laptop. And possibly while sitting on a couch made of puppies. But like, alive puppies who want to play with me, not the Cruella de Vil kind.
I don't know why I've chosen this review for this rant, but there you have it. Which is a long and convoluted way of saying this book name-drops in its blurb, but it FUCKING DELIVERS.
The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.
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The Blair Witch Project is a seminal piece of the horror genre, and Midsommar is a standout work of folk horror, one of my recent favorites. So basically, this book was made for me. And you know what? I actually think those comparisons are warranted.
It brings the eerie vibes and haunting atmosphere of those aforementioned films without trying to retread the same ground. It feels inspired by them, by their mood and their tropes, but it's clearly setting out to tell a new story. Steeped in the influence of the genre, Camilla Sten takes that potent history and applies it to a new and haunting story.
To skim the plot quickly, we have two timelines. One in 1959 in a town called Silvertjärn, where a horrible mystery is about to unfold, and the other in present day, where an upstart team of documentary filmmakers head into the wilderness to try to suss out the secrets of that very town. After all, an entire village can't just up and vanish. Right?
The Lost Village does a lot with the simplest of scares. It uses empty space and looming decay, slowly and steadily building a chilly atmosphere to house the many horrors to come. There's a particularly spooky scene set in a van in a torrential downpour that does so much with the simple fear of being alone. Or rather the fear that maybe you aren't alone.
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For all the chills and thrills, it wouldn't have struck the same chord with me if it wasn't for some excellent character work. The characterizations are meticulously layered, revealing bits of who these characters are and who they wish they were. Our main character Alice and her fraught relationship with her former roommate Emmy made for some of the best dialogue and a deep well of emotional resonance.
We're drawn in to the pain and tenderness that can envelop friendships, particularly ones plagued by trauma. Throw in a few more characters with painful pasts and dubious motives, and that's a recipe for success in my book.
I know all I've done is praise it so far, but sad to say it's not a total winner.
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Yes, it's very good and I had a great time reading it, but I should acknowledge that I didn't feel 100% satisfied by the ending. I wasn't disappointed with it to a book-ruining degree, but it was enough to feel like I have to mention it here. I'm not certain what I would have preferred changed; I just know that it didn't quite strike me the same way the previous chapters had. There was still a certain sad beauty to it that I appreciated though.
My quibbles with the final pages aside, The Lost Village is recommendation worthy, a seductively melancholic folk horror that makes some big promises and delivers on them with precision and dread.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and my book fairy for the arc!...more
Ellen Gail
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