Penitence

A Novel

De: Kristin Koval

Narrado por: Thérèse Plummer

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

"A deeply engrossing listen that will have you reflecting on guilt and forgiveness.”—Booklist

“Plummer is a joy to listen to. She brings insight and emotional depth to the characters as they grapple with mistakes from their pasts. Plummer imbues her performance with the perfect amount of energy and tension.”—AudioFile

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

©2025 Kristin Koval (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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

Unexpected

This is more of a family drama than it is a thriller or mystery. Basically, it's a fairly well-written story about two families with a couple things in common: death and sacrifice. There was a lot going on--the murder, the "lost love" angle, parenthood, mental illness, guilt, self-loathing, and family dynamics. Because the focus was a bit disjointed, the point of the story was muddled.

While it was pretty easy to piece things together fairly early on, the premise was interesting. Overall, it's a decent listen but the story started to drag on.

I need another!

I need this to be a series or at least have a second book! Very easy to follow along and I enjoyed the twists and turns.

Don’t compare to Patchett or Ng

I fell for the promo ad comparing this to an Ann Patchett or Celeste Ng story. The characters were inscrutable and the motive for the central act was left unexplored. Meh.

Amazing Debut Novel

Penitence is masterful story-telling at its finest. Readers are compelled to wrestle with the philosophical and moral dilemmas of wonderfully complex characters in this tale of love, imperfection and forgivenss. Koval's distinct and unique writing voice is a breath of fresh air in a world of followers and imitators.

Predictable storyline

It was a predictable story, I had a hard time getting into the first few chapters and almost stopped reading. It picked up a little bit in the middle, but wasn’t my favorite read.

Impressive. Heartbreaking. Satisfying.

When I started the book I really needed to know why. In the end, I didn't care about the why's. Instead, I cared about the individuals involved in this complex story. It was a very nice surprise.

Couldn’t stop listening!

Well written and emotional. I loved the two times the story takes place in. The characters were relatable and engaging

the rawness of the story

wonderful story of love and forgiveness...the characters lives are so entangled and yet so separate.

Lovely, Human Story

I think I might have preferred to read this one because the narration ruined it for me. I wish our audiobook narrators would learn that they don’t have to lower their voices for men, or deviate into falsetto for women. Just read the words in your own voice - we can follow along and will know who says what. Finally, speaking words tremulously does not equal great emotion. It simply draws attention to emotions you aren’t really feeling.

I was immediately immersed in the story

I was able to hear the author speak @ Barnes & Noble last week. I could not wait to dive into this story of tragedy & forgiveness . I downloaded the audible version before my presale copy shipped to me end of last week. The story gripped me & had an interesting twist. This was Koval’s first novel & it deserves all the attention it is getting. I was invested in the lives of The characters in this small Colorado town & teared up a bit at the end of the book. Each of us are more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.