Penitence is the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; there is a lot of that going around in this book. 

The opening chapter immediately grabs you when a 13 year old calls 911 to turn herself in for shooting her brother. While it sets the book up to be a fast paced thriller, the reality is the book moves really slowly and it works for this story. 

While it takes time to unravel the motives behind the shooting, the lives of their parents also begin to unspool. From a horribly accident that separated teenage love to secrets relationships and cheating; Penitence is filled with emotional punch after punch. 

Kristin Koval digs into the heart of imperfect people who are just trying to get through life and the grit it takes to do it. This isn't a story with a pretty bow in the end, but I felt the ending did the story justice. 

Thank you to Celadon Books for the gifted copy. 

***50 States Challenge: Colorado, New York