Penance - by Kanae Minato (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A chilling Japanese psychological thriller and Edgar Award finalist about four women, forever connected by one horrible day in their childhood -- fifteen years later, someone wants to make sure they never forget.

When they were girls, Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuko were tricked into leaving their friend Emily with a mysterious stranger. Then the unthinkable occurred: Emily was found murdered hours later.

The four friends were never able to describe the stranger to the police; the killer's trail went cold. Asako, the bereaved mother, curses the surviving girls, vowing that they will be the ones to pay for her daughter's murder . . .

Like Confessions, Kanae Minato's award-winning, internationally bestselling debut, Penance is a dark tale of revenge and psychological drama that will leave readers breathless.

Review Quotes

"[A] suspenseful psychological melodrama. . . . Filled with strange entwinings of chance and effect, free will and manipulation, the mundane and the bizarre."--The Wall Street Journal

"Kanae Minato is a brilliant storyteller."--Emily St. John Mandel, New York Times bestselling author of Station Eleven

"Minato writes character driven mystery/crime novels that take deep dives into people's psychology--especially girls and women--with an unflinching look at the dark side of humans. I will read any novel she writes."
--BookRiot

"Minato's simple, clear voice highlights the stories' psychological intensity, and themes of powerlessness evolving to strength, duty, and redemption create layers of interest that are perfect for book-group dissection."--Booklist (starred review)

"Moving, tension-filled . . . Minato has crafted an unnerving tale of tragedy, guilt, and penance."--Publishers Weekly

"With echoes of fairy tales and a Rashomon-like narrative structure, Minato's Penance is as ethereal and literary as it is a sharp, tight crime novel."--Literary Hub

About the Author

Kanae Minato is an award-winning, internationally bestselling novelist and former home economics teacher and housewife who wrote her first novel between household chores. Minato lives in Japan.