Penitence - by Kristin Koval (Hardcover)

About the Book

"When their thirteen-year-old daughter Nora kills her terminally ill brother, Angie and David Sheehan struggle to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. 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 ill-fated first love Julian, a successful criminal defense attorney. Martine promptly draws him into the legal battle against an overreaching district attorney determined to try Nora as an adult. As the families grapple with the lasting strain of blame and the complexities of an often unfair criminal justice system, Julian and Angie must confront their own culpability in a long-ago accident and the guilt they still carry over how their prior life together in New York City ended"--

Book Synopsis

"Gripping and propulsive, Kristin Koval's Penitence is an exploration of the struggles and impossible choices of two families linked by tragedy, guilt, blame and love." --The Washington Post

For readers of Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng, Penitence is a poignant exploration of love and forgiveness. It's a suspenseful, addictive page-turner filled with literary insight that compels readers to consider whether the worst thing we've ever done is all that defines us.

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.

Review Quotes

"Gripping and propulsive, Kristin Koval's Penitence is an exploration of the struggles and impossible choices of two families linked by tragedy, guilt, blame and love."
--The Washington Post

"When tragedy strikes in Angie and David's home, the lawyer they ask for help is the mother of Angie's first love. A propulsive, deftly woven story of loss and forgiveness."
--People

"Koval maintains the pacing of a thriller while going deep on themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the toll of keeping secrets. Readers won't be able to look away."
--Publishers Weekly

"While exploring the complexities of personal and family relationships, this engrossing, emotionally charged novel also examines the way forgiveness comes from acceptance that 'each one of us is more than the worst we've ever done.' An intelligent, deftly crafted suspense debut."
--Kirkus

"Fans of Little Fires Everywhere will appreciate this deeply moving novel about what it takes to let go of guilt and find redemption. Koval's background in law lends realism to her image of America's broken criminal justice system, and her prose poignantly exposes what it takes to find forgiveness."
--Booklist

"The tension of a suspense novel and the gravitas of a family tragedy... [an] uncommonly impressive debut novel."
--Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

"This is a gorgeously written story about relationships and the power of forgiveness."
--The Colorado Sun

"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."
--Mary Beth Keane, bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes and The Half Moon

"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."
--Adrienne Brodeur, bestselling author of Little Monsters and Wild Game

"Deeply humane, spiky, yearning, heartfelt, rendered in brisk and often stunning prose, Kristin Koval's Penitence poses so many rich and complicated questions about where and how guilt lives."
--Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight

"Kristin Koval's prose is crisp and readable and insightful... Penitence will grab you on its first page and hold you tight until the end."
--Laura Spence-Ash, author of Beyond That, the Sea

"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."
--Claire Messud, bestselling author of The Emperor's Children and This Strange Eventful History

About the Author

Kristin Koval is a former lawyer who always wanted to be a writer but initially wandered down other paths. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Georgetown University, and Columbia Law School. She lives in Boulder, Colorado and Park City, Utah with her husband, two sons, and two great danes.