Penance stays with you after you’ve read the final page

Michelle Ponto

Ben Antao's second novel, Penance, is one that stays with you long after you've read the final page. Tackling sensitive issues society would rather pretend don't exist, we delve into Christian beliefs and alternative lifestyles, while watching Antao's characters move from their comfortable, well-defined roles in society into the spiraling world of the unknown.

At the beginning of the novel, both couples are content and disillusioned into believing that "this" could never happen to them. Using their comfort as their downfall, Antao is able to successfully take a simple glance from across the room and transform it into a catastrophic event that changes his characters forever --not just their physical lives, but how they think.

While the two couples are not as entrancing as those in Antao's first novel, Blood and Nemesis, Antao is able to convincingly capture the mental anguish of his characters and portray how the external guilt and restrictions placed upon them by religion and society create the conflict in their lives. Each party must make a decision, but it isn't easy. In order to move forward, they have to accept their destinies and allow their beliefs to evolve.

Antao has a gift for expressing passion and emotion without giving too much away; and he masterfully uses this skill throughout the novel to move the action forward. Using flashbacks, internal conflict and dialogue, Antao throws a wrench in the proverbial wheel of life. He captures the intricacies of religion, same-sex relationships and the sacrament of marriage without being preachy or leading the reader. Instead, like the characters in the novel, he expertly leaves you questioning your own beliefs and how society has shaped your existence.

Michelle Ponto is a Canadian writer
December 6, 2006

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