Anticipation of the Penitent - Nancy LaRonda Johnson

Anticipation of the Penitent

By Nancy LaRonda Johnson

Story Rating - 4

Editorial Rating - 3

Escaping a tainted childhood, Alezea leaves her family, determined to make her own way in the world. While she isn’t as independent as she hopes to be, her life takes a “normal” turn, until the devil finds her and pays her visits, resulting in the birth of a son. No longer in control of her destiny, she accepts that the devil will punish her if she does not comply with his wishes, and allows evil incarnate to raise her son.

As Alezea’s son, Thomas lives a sheltered life, spending most of his time with his father. He is raised to be a killer at the tutelage of his father, a social misfit and outcast with no one else to turn to. Alezea’s employer witnesses Alezea’s grief one night and suggests a religious camp to save Alezea and her son. Alezea sees the road to salvation and willingly embarks on it, hoping, for the first time, to redeem her son’s soul.

But Thomas doesn’t want to be redeemed. On his journey to punish his mother and the rest of her family, he meets a cousin with the intent of continuing the devil’s line.

This story will have a polarizing effect on its readers. There will be some that embrace it and there will be some that hate it. I have to say that the writing was not “crisp” but the story kept me reading. I could comment on some of the aspects that rub me the wrong way, but the overarching theme was “can you redeem a sociopath/serial killer?” And I kept reading to find out if Thomas was redeemable.  The plot was well thought out, the journey was paced well. The conclusion was satisfying.