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Penitence by Kristin Koval

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Also by Kristin Koval:

Penitence, March 2026
Trade Paperback / e-Book (reprint)
Penitence, February 2025
Hardcover / e-Book

PENITENCE
By: Kristin Koval

Celadon Books
March 2026
On Sale: March 3, 2026
320 pages
ISBN: 1250343011
EAN: 9781250343017
Kindle: B0D1PB5V1M
Trade Paperback / e-Book (reprint)
Add to Wish List

Other Editions
Hardcover (February 2025)

Coming of Age

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.