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Contrition
In her late teens, Meredith Berg-Olsen had had all the makings of a runway model. Now in her late forties, after everything she had been through - including horrors that John could only guess at - she looked bloodless instead of pale, skeletal instead of slender, more dead than alive.
John Penrose has two secrets. One is the flatmate he keeps hidden from the world: his high-school sweetheart, Meredith. His other secret is the reason he feels compelled to look after her.
Contrition is a horror story with noir undertones and an atmosphere of mounting dread.
John Penrose has two secrets. One is the flatmate he keeps hidden from the world: his high-school sweetheart, Meredith. His other secret is the reason he feels compelled to look after her.
Contrition is a horror story with noir undertones and an atmosphere of mounting dread.
- GenresHorror
244 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2018
20 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Sheldon
79 books278 followersI'm a multi-award-winning author and anthology editor from Melbourne, Australia. I write poems, short stories, novelettes, novellas and novels across the darker spectrum of horror, crime and noir. My latest titles are the novel Nightmare Reef and the poetry collection The Broonie and Other Dark Poems.
My award-winning titles include the novella Redhead Town and the collection Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories. My award-nominated titles include the novels Bodily Harm, Cretaceous Canyon, Body Farm Z, Contrition and Devil Dragon; the novella Thylacines; and the collections Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories and Liminal Spaces: Horror Stories.
My short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines, been shortlisted for numerous awards, translated, and included in various 'best of' anthologies such as Year's Best Hardcore Horror.
I've won the Australian Shadows 'Best Edited Work' Award three times: for Midnight Echo 14, and for the anthologies I conceived and edited, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, and Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories with Bite.
Other credits include TV scripts such as NEIGHBOURS, feature articles, non-fiction books published by Reed Books and Random House, stage plays, award-nominated poetry, and award-winning medical writing including Better Health Channel.
My award-winning titles include the novella Redhead Town and the collection Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories. My award-nominated titles include the novels Bodily Harm, Cretaceous Canyon, Body Farm Z, Contrition and Devil Dragon; the novella Thylacines; and the collections Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories and Liminal Spaces: Horror Stories.
My short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines, been shortlisted for numerous awards, translated, and included in various 'best of' anthologies such as Year's Best Hardcore Horror.
I've won the Australian Shadows 'Best Edited Work' Award three times: for Midnight Echo 14, and for the anthologies I conceived and edited, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, and Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories with Bite.
Other credits include TV scripts such as NEIGHBOURS, feature articles, non-fiction books published by Reed Books and Random House, stage plays, award-nominated poetry, and award-winning medical writing including Better Health Channel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 8, 2019
*** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews!***
Deborah Sheldon is an Australian based horror writer with an outstanding pedigree. She has written a number of really well-received novels and has been long-listed for a Bram Stoker award.
The synopsis for Contrition had me intrigued. The story follows John Penrose, a fifty year old man battling personal and mental demons. He is an alcoholic who won’t accept or admit to himself that he is, but uses it as a crutch to make it through each day. He also takes care of his disappeared high-school friend Lyle’s twin sister Meredith. Meredith was the girl that all of the boy’s dreamed about in high-school. Now somethings up with Meredith and John won’t admit to himself what is wrong with her, even as the clues mount.
This was pegged as a slow burner, noir-tinged horror tale and I found that description to be spot on.
Deborah does a great job of setting up the characters, giving them reasons for their back stories and then she really digs in with the creepy factors.
I was ultimately bogged down by too many tedious pages. There was simply too many moments, paragraphs and even some chapters that really didn’t need to be included. I’m not sure if this was done to move this into novel length from a short story or novella, but by the twentieth or thirtieth mention of John, alcohol and drinking I was starting to grow annoyed. I got it.
The ending does a great job of tying things together and I was glad it ended how it ended!
Overall this was a nicely done, gritty creepfest, but I found some areas to be overused.
Deborah Sheldon is an Australian based horror writer with an outstanding pedigree. She has written a number of really well-received novels and has been long-listed for a Bram Stoker award.
The synopsis for Contrition had me intrigued. The story follows John Penrose, a fifty year old man battling personal and mental demons. He is an alcoholic who won’t accept or admit to himself that he is, but uses it as a crutch to make it through each day. He also takes care of his disappeared high-school friend Lyle’s twin sister Meredith. Meredith was the girl that all of the boy’s dreamed about in high-school. Now somethings up with Meredith and John won’t admit to himself what is wrong with her, even as the clues mount.
This was pegged as a slow burner, noir-tinged horror tale and I found that description to be spot on.
Deborah does a great job of setting up the characters, giving them reasons for their back stories and then she really digs in with the creepy factors.
I was ultimately bogged down by too many tedious pages. There was simply too many moments, paragraphs and even some chapters that really didn’t need to be included. I’m not sure if this was done to move this into novel length from a short story or novella, but by the twentieth or thirtieth mention of John, alcohol and drinking I was starting to grow annoyed. I got it.
The ending does a great job of tying things together and I was glad it ended how it ended!
Overall this was a nicely done, gritty creepfest, but I found some areas to be overused.
November 10, 2024
DEBORAH SHELDON'S CONTRITION IS A SLOW BURN WITH A KILLER FINISH!
In most of Deborah's books I've read, she throws you right into the action and delivers fast-paced action. But in CONTRITION, she slows the story down and delivers an addictive, brutal tale that reminds me of some of my favorite Ketchum stories.
While I was reading it, I was planning to present it as "Ketchum light" in this review. Then I got to the end and was like, "Nope. This is full Ketchum... Wow, that's brutal." It definitely has elements of splatterpunk and extreme horror, but also has some unique pieces of psychological horror. Deborah also adds notes of creature horror to round out the story.
There's also some great misdirection. I thought I had it figured out about a third of the way through. While I was proven right in some aspects, the twist at the end caught me off guard and was a perfect finish to the story.
No matter what kind of horror you like, you should definitely give CONTRITION a read!
In most of Deborah's books I've read, she throws you right into the action and delivers fast-paced action. But in CONTRITION, she slows the story down and delivers an addictive, brutal tale that reminds me of some of my favorite Ketchum stories.
While I was reading it, I was planning to present it as "Ketchum light" in this review. Then I got to the end and was like, "Nope. This is full Ketchum... Wow, that's brutal." It definitely has elements of splatterpunk and extreme horror, but also has some unique pieces of psychological horror. Deborah also adds notes of creature horror to round out the story.
There's also some great misdirection. I thought I had it figured out about a third of the way through. While I was proven right in some aspects, the twist at the end caught me off guard and was a perfect finish to the story.
No matter what kind of horror you like, you should definitely give CONTRITION a read!
May 6, 2019
I devoured this book in literally two days it was that good. From the very first page you immediately sucked into this world of pure horror and you can't help but feel for the poor guy who has unknownly welcomed a monster into his home. As the story progresses you find yourself trying to figure out what happened to Meredith and why she acts the way that she does. You want the lead John Penrose to find happiness but you know that Meredith isn't going to let him out of her clutches that easily. One of the most fantastic horror novels I have read in a long time! It was so good that I let my brother borrow it because even he was intrigued by it. A definite five star rating!
October 24, 2018
Very dark and very grim. Not an easy read at times as you begin to discover what Meredith, former lover of the main character, John Penrose has become. Believing himself guilty of an appalling crime, John looks after Meredith as an act of penance despite the suffering her actions cause him. During this time, he spirals into alcoholism whilst being in a state of self-denial until he finds, at last, a woman who can give his life real meaning. If only he didn't have Meredith lurking in the background ...
June 2, 2019
Brilliant book. I loved every bit of it and read it in one sitting. Deborah knows how to construct a terrifying tale. The characters in this book could be your neighbours next door, but you'd be better off if they weren't. It's really hard to write this story offers without giving away the end. Two things to note: The book offers so much more than the blurb suggests; and, horror fans, you won't be disappointed.
October 15, 2018
"Contrition" is another gem from Deborah Sheldon. The storyline is brilliant & intriguing as the characters are built up. There are plenty of twists & shocks, that kept me enthralled to the end. Once again, Deborah has written a story unlike any other-this one is another wonderful feast of horror from her pen. As always, this story makes me want to read more of Deborah Sheldon's work.
November 8, 2018
Very creepy. Great characters. Unexpected twists and turns. The pacing ramped up nicely and each chapter left on a cliffhanger. I didn't see the end coming but when it did it made sense.
September 13, 2018
This is the latest horror/thriller from Australian writer Deborah Sheldon, just published on 3 September 2018 from IFWG Publishing and is available on amazon to purchase. Sheldon has created a seemingly ordinary Mr Average, John Penrose, as her protagonist, however it becomes clear very quickly (and at 240 pages there is no extra fat on the bone in this tale) he lives a not so ordinary life. He might have a boring dead end job, rent in the suburbs, no friends and no social life and drink too much beer, but he has an extraordinary secret lodging with him. Both literally sharing his rental home and sharing his back story, set 30 years previously, which still casts long toxic shadows into the present day.
The unravelling of the past when the young, shy college lad John Penrose meets and becomes entwined in the lives of the twins Lyle and Meredith Berg-Olsen, both of whom he loves in different ways but with deadly consequences, is slotted in beside the current day narrative describing John’s tedious existence - moving from rental house to rental house, when issues arise with Meredith and her behaviour.
John still loves his Merry, he still sees her with the eyes of his first teenage love, but to us the reader, it is apparent Meredith is not the girl she once was and John is blinded by devotion. Sheldon cleverly gives us clues and hints, but avoids the full reveal about what ails Meredith, until the climax, which is exciting and well constructed and takes an unexpected turn in the last few pages.
A neighbour, a single mother, Donna with a daughter in tow, takes a shine to John, and they begin a sweet gentle courtship but in the neighbourhood animals keep going missing, Meredith never goes out of the house in daylight hours, a ‘witch’ is seen outside Donna’ s windows and John learns new facts about his past from an old school mate now working for a circus performing in town. The mundanities of life are being undermined.
John has a truly unnerving night time encounter with Meredith’s homeless friend, Sebastian, which has John racing for his life through the suburb’s back gardens. Meanwhile at home the tension mounts. Long before John asks the killer questions, we the reader are suspicious – of Meredith and her hobby boxes and of what did happen that summer day with Lyle down by the river, for which John has carried a lifetime of ‘Contrition’ and provides the motivations for all that he does thereafter.
This is a pacy, exciting read with strong horror content and some gruesome scenes which are well written but not for the faint hearted reader. If you don’t like shocks and scares this is not for you. There are noir currents at play here too, John Penrose is very much a man trapped by his femme fatale and one fateful act carried out one long ago summer’s day, which changed his life and from which he cannot get out from under. The guy just never catches a break. You’re hoping he will turn things around, but just for like Elisha Cook, Jnr in all those noir B movies of the 1940’s, you know deep down, it’s not going to happen.
The unravelling of the past when the young, shy college lad John Penrose meets and becomes entwined in the lives of the twins Lyle and Meredith Berg-Olsen, both of whom he loves in different ways but with deadly consequences, is slotted in beside the current day narrative describing John’s tedious existence - moving from rental house to rental house, when issues arise with Meredith and her behaviour.
John still loves his Merry, he still sees her with the eyes of his first teenage love, but to us the reader, it is apparent Meredith is not the girl she once was and John is blinded by devotion. Sheldon cleverly gives us clues and hints, but avoids the full reveal about what ails Meredith, until the climax, which is exciting and well constructed and takes an unexpected turn in the last few pages.
A neighbour, a single mother, Donna with a daughter in tow, takes a shine to John, and they begin a sweet gentle courtship but in the neighbourhood animals keep going missing, Meredith never goes out of the house in daylight hours, a ‘witch’ is seen outside Donna’ s windows and John learns new facts about his past from an old school mate now working for a circus performing in town. The mundanities of life are being undermined.
John has a truly unnerving night time encounter with Meredith’s homeless friend, Sebastian, which has John racing for his life through the suburb’s back gardens. Meanwhile at home the tension mounts. Long before John asks the killer questions, we the reader are suspicious – of Meredith and her hobby boxes and of what did happen that summer day with Lyle down by the river, for which John has carried a lifetime of ‘Contrition’ and provides the motivations for all that he does thereafter.
This is a pacy, exciting read with strong horror content and some gruesome scenes which are well written but not for the faint hearted reader. If you don’t like shocks and scares this is not for you. There are noir currents at play here too, John Penrose is very much a man trapped by his femme fatale and one fateful act carried out one long ago summer’s day, which changed his life and from which he cannot get out from under. The guy just never catches a break. You’re hoping he will turn things around, but just for like Elisha Cook, Jnr in all those noir B movies of the 1940’s, you know deep down, it’s not going to happen.
August 20, 2019
Contrition is another high-pressure horror story from Deb Sheldon. When we meet John Penrose, we learn that he is moving house, lives alone, and likes gardening. Before long, we also learn that John has a secret and, in order to keep this secret, he has to tell lies and maintain his life in an orderly routine. Then John meets Donna and he begins to imagine he can have a life with her. That's when the lies, the routine, and the secret all spin out of control. This is a real page-turner with an end that is beyond extraordinary!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews