87 books like Penance

This brutal, beautiful book with a powerful, authentic northern voice captured my attention. Set in County Durham, the story follows young Traveller John-John after he is released from a young offender’s institution for a violent crime and tries to turn his life around. Despite his good intentions, he is soon caught up in a fight with local drug dealers. 

I loved this book because it took an unflinching look at a community not often depicted in contemporary fiction and featured a complex, conflicted character (who loves dogs) who struggles to escape his past. 

The book is by an author I admire. He writes gritty, dark northern fiction that focuses on the fringes of society. Originally published by independent presses, he has gone on to be very successful, and as an independent northern author, I would love to emulate that career trajectory. 

Written by a disabled, northern author, this magical middle-grade novel has such a warm, compassionate voice, and I loved how it reflected the story’s locations, which are inspired by real places in North East England.

The story is full of magic and features a cast of disabled children who live in a lighthouse by the sea and get caught up in an adventure. I think it’s important for all kids to see themselves in fiction, and this book does a wonderful job of improving disability representation.

Although it’s aimed at children, there’s plenty for adults to enjoy, and I thought this was a beautiful book full of illustrations by a local artist, which helped me to picture the characters and setting.

I love literary fiction and stunning prose, and this book is full of gorgeous sentences that shine off the page. It deals with class issues and finding your own place in the world.

I’m from a working-class, deprived town close to the one featured in this novel. I related to some of the character’s concerns and struggles, particularly regarding the lack of opportunity in North East England. 

I read this book because it’s set in my hometown, which doesn’t appear often in fiction. It’s full of places I know, and I enjoyed the quirky style and the way the story is told from some unusual perspectives. 

Apples is about Adam and Eve, two different teens growing up on a council estate in Middlesbrough, dealing with family troubles and relationships. It’s fast-paced, dark, and full of energy, and it has a fantastic opening line. It’s a book I come back to regularly.

I read this tiny collection of stories after chatting to the author on social media, and it's what got me reading again after two years of barely reading a thing.

Nostalgic, atmospheric, and vivid, these stories are sometimes stomach-churningly brutal. Even though a lot of them deal with the supernatural, it's the most mundane of situations that are the most anxiety-inducing. They took me right back to my own Northern childhood, with all the mystery, boredom, wonder, and terror it entailed. A very emotional collection with as much heart as heartbreak, wrapped up in chiming prose.

Every time I read this book, I want to strangle basically every character except for Cat—and that’s half the fun! Charmed Life taught me that sometimes we can be too close to a situation to recognize its dangers or the safest paths to get away.

Cat assumes his sister is good, and everyone else assumes that he’s wicked because he’s always with her. I find his innocence endearing and I love that, as his understanding of Gwendolyn unfolds, he continues to seek goodness in others around him.

This book was translated from Spanish by Heather Cleary. It’s also not really fantasy. Sorry!

I don’t read enough translated books. The flow of language is different and storytelling isn’t always as straightforward as the Western narrative structure I’m more familiar with.

(I find this to be true with books written by fellow Indigenous authors in America and Canada, as well, but I haven’t read any of their work featuring contemporary witches. Yet.)

This book intertwines the stories of Curandera Feliciana and journalist Zoe, who are brought together by the murder of Feliciana’s cousin Paloma. It’s less about witches as spellcasters, and more about them as healers, knowledge-keepers, and disrupters of the status quo (i.e., the patriarchy).

Not a light read, but an important one.

People throw around the phrase “this book changed my life” far too easily, in my opinion, so when I say it about this book, please know that I mean it with all my being. I found this book while I was in a mental health crisis, and it helped link me to my ancestors, the good life they would wish for me, and forgiveness through intricately detailed rituals and folk traditions.

A must-read if you’re Italian-American–or even if you’re not–this book helped me structure my life in a way that felt true to who I am. 

This was probably one of the first books to specifically connect Witchcraft and Shamanism in a practical way for me. Witchcraft Today Book Three edited by Chas S. Clifton opened the door, but Johnson told you how to deftly step through it. Previously called The North Star Road, he linked stellar knowledge of European Paganism with its spirit worker roots and gave you very practical and meaningful ways to commune with the powers and understand more deeply the Witch’s sabbat, the wild hunt and the journey of life after death. Huge influence on my work. 

I cheated on this one, no new strange world here. It’s more of an urban fantasy. I was swept up with the main character, though, as she learned she belonged in a secret society of witches. Her struggles are so real, I couldn’t help but bite my nails as I ripped through the pages. And again, treachery abounds. I’m a sucker for needing to overcome a traitor. This being book one of a short series, the ending left me gasping for more.