Author: Megan Campisi
Publisher: Atria Books
Released: April 7, 2020
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Starvation, isolation, abuse

It’s time to enter a historical fiction like no other in Megan Campisi’s Sin Eater. I picked this book up because it promised to be a blend of The Handmaid’s Tale and Alice in Wonderland. Let me tell you – it did not disappoint.

May received a life sentence on the day she stole bread. Now, she must forever be a Sin Eater – somebody who listens to the confessions of the dying and takes on their sins so that they may find peace.

May had already been alone before becoming a Sin Eater, but now she is more isolated than ever. Even her mentor, another Sin Eater, cannot speak to her. Yet May won’t hesitate to find the truth – and vengeance -for an act that cost her mentor her life.

“With how you came into the world and what you’ve seen lately you should know, the more you live, the more the sinner and the saint can’t be pulled apart. All of us just getting by.”

If you’re looking to put up a book that packs quite the punch, then it is time to read Sin Eater. Megan Campisi does not shy away from the darker sides of humanity, and it is blindingly clear in this novel.

In truth, having finished Sin Eater, I can now see why comparisons were made to The Handmaid’s Tale and Alice in Wonderland. While Sin Eater is very much its own being, the tones are strikingly similar. Both the horrifying and the fantastical.

What’s so impressive about Sin Eater is the sheer amount of inequalities that Campisi tackles here. Classicism and sexism are brought to light here, as are other societal differences until they become nearly suffocating. As I’m sure was the intent.

I really respect the story that Megan Campisi was trying to convey here, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thanks to Atria Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.