Penitents

“Gory, ferocious, and awash in bodily fluids, Penitents is a debut of both shocking violence and startling emotional clarity. This is a book that touches the heart with the filthiest fingers imaginable.”
—Lindsay King-Miller, This Is My Body and The Z Word

“This book will break you down completely and remold you from scratch like an acid trip baptism.”
—Sabs Cooper, Dead Beats and Tales from Nottingham

After weeks of arguing over an indiscretion, Ginger takes a weekend away from her girlfriends Jessica and Clara to clear her head. But when she has an ill-fated one-night stand with Beatrice—a gender critical conservative—the woman’s family kidnaps and assaults her. Ginger barely escapes with her life, but as her girlfriends come looking for her, they wind up in the crosshairs of Beatrice’s abusive father. Unfortunately for them, the former sheriff’s hobbies include trafficking queer runaways and producing snuff films with his once-deputy.

Penitents is a trans tribute to New French Extreme cinema and ’70s grindhouse horror roaring down the rain-slicked coast of the Pacific Northwest. Set against a backdrop of desperate hook-ups and polyamorous infidelity, this roaring revenge romp spans the course of one blood-soaked weekend around Astoria, Oregon.