Penitence

“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.”

“When we meet Angie and David Sheehan at the start of this impressive debut novel, their lives have been shattered by violence, but the journey of the book is one of forgiveness and understanding, of learning how to come to terms with the past. Kristin Koval’s prose is crisp and readable and insightful, allowing the reader access into multiple characters so that we see all sides of this story as it unfolds. Penitence will grab you on its first page and hold you tight until the end.”

“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. I look forward to whatever Kristin Koval writes next.”

"Deeply humane, spiky, yearning, heartfelt, rendered in brisk and often stunning prose, Kris Koval's Penitence poses so many rich and complicated questions about where and how guilt lives and grows and festers, what love might feel like and how it might still flourish when we're faced with the worst of who we might be or have been."

“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.”