Looking for your next captivating novel to read? Look no further! Lighthouse’s four-time Lit Fest alumna, Kristin Koval, recently published a stunning debut novel, Penitence, which was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick for February 2025, a People Magazine Best Book of the Week, and a Goodreads Hottest Debut of 2025, among many other recognitions. Her publishers recommend this addictive page turner for readers of Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng. Penitence is a poignant exploration of love and forgiveness. The suspenseful novel is filled with literary insight that compels readers to consider whether the worst thing we’ve ever done is all that defines us.
We wanted to showcase Kristin’s success as Lit Fest approaches and connected with the author to ask some questions about her writing process. Read her responses here:
Tell me a bit about your experience at Lit Fest. What was the most memorable moment or something impactful that you learned?
I don’t think I can boil down my experience at Lit Fest into one moment. It’s a combination of experiences—of learning from both the teachers and the students in the Advanced Workshops, having the flexibility to branch out and take craft classes in poetry and nonfiction and screenwriting just for the sake of learning, making friends in the writing community that I may not see very often but with whom I share a passion, and having the opportunity to learn about the business side of writing—and doing all those things in just one short week or weekend. It’s invaluable!
The perspective shifts in Penitence really highlight the complicated process of forgiveness. What was it like for you to take on multiple points of view during the writing process?
When I began to write Penitence, I knew I couldn’t tackle the topic of forgiveness without multiple perspective narration. The characters are complicated (aren’t we all?) and I needed to position readers so forgiveness would be challenging yet attainable. Telling the story from Angie’s, Nora’s, Julian’s, and Martine’s perspectives prompts readers to step back from judgement and condemnation to understand the history underlying their often poor decisions. This hopefully leads to empathy and compassion, which are important precursors to mercy, and mercy is an important precursor to forgiveness—and that is where I wanted readers to land.
Do you have a word of advice for writers, whether they’re just getting started or publishing their work?
Never underestimate the power of community. Even though writing is often a solo endeavor, you need people in your writing life—as friends and teachers, and as sustenance when the going gets tough (as it does for everyone!).
Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful answers, Kristin! Lighthouse is so grateful to be one of the stepping stones along any writer’s literary journey. Want to dive into the suspenseful yet moving debut novel? Penitence is available for purchase now, so don’t miss out on this captivating piece.
