Accomplice

by Eireann Corrigan

Overview

Their plan: A fake abduction
The results: Unpredictable

Finn and Chloe’s advisor says that colleges have enough kids with good grades and perfect attendance, so Chloe decides they’ll have to attract attention another way. She and Finn will stage Chloe's disappearance, and then, when CNN is on their doorstep and the nation is riveted, Finn will find and save her. It seems like the perfect plan--until things start to go wrong. Very wrong.

It was supposed to be a victimless crime. Finn was supposed to be the good accomplice,and Chloe was supposed to be the hidden object of attention. But when things intensify, their plan isn't so innocent anymore.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545052368
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/01/2010
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Eireann Corrigan is the author of the poetry memoir You Remind Me of You, and the novels Splintering, Ordinary Ghosts, and Accomplice, which Publishers Weekly called "haunting and provocative" in a starred review. She lives in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

Corrigan delivers an addictive cautionary tale in this twisted unraveling of mean girl machinations. The surprisingly likable (if tragically duped) narrator, junior Finn Jacobs, acerbically reveals the inside story on how she and her best friend Chloe fake Chloe's disappearance, hiding her in Finn's grandmother's basement for 11 long days. "It started as a joke. A sick joke really, the kind that Chloe and I could only tell each other because anyone else would think we were terrible people." The goal of this deranged plot is to make both of them stand out in competitive college admissions; however, readers will suspect before Finn the extent of Chloe's ambitions. Tension mounts as Finn finds it easier to lie and simultaneously becomes isolated by her secrets, especially as the facade of her friendship with Chloe cracks. As Finn realizes the consequences of her role, Corrigan (Ordinary Ghosts) balances her guilt and remorse with realizations about the underlying power dynamic of the girls' relationship. This commentary on the fictions underlying celebrity culture and the cruelty and bravery of this memorable heroine are both haunting and provocative. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Convinced that the only way she can get into a top college is to really stand out, Chloe latches onto the news of a kidnapped girl's return and decides that going missing is what she must do to gain notoriety. Executing a detailed plan with best friend, Finn, Chloe disappears. Finn, left behind to lie and cover up for her, is unprepared for the realities she faces, especially when Dean, a shy boy from school is blamed for the nonexistent crime. Forced to deal with the aftermath, even when Chloe reveals herself, Finn begins to learn that their escapades caused a lot of pain for both Dean and herself, a realization that forces her to face the truth. Corrigan creates an extremely unique plot that is mostly credible because of the authenticity of the characters. Chloe especially is well-constructed. Even though some elements strain belief, including the role Dean plays and Finn's ability to cover things up so convincingly, the reality of the girls' mistakes makes the reader want to continue. Unfortunately, the outcome is disappointingly rushed, packing several years into two chapters. Despite these flaws, the story grasps the reader with a voyeuristic sense of horror as they sit back and watch events unfold and also come to the realization of the true harm the girls' prank enacted, making this an interesting choice for fans of true crime mysteries. Reviewer: Rachel Wadham

VOYA - Rachel Wadham

It sounded like a good idea at the time. Stage a disappearance, gain lots of attention, and then reap huge rewards when the missing person miraculously reappears. Best friends Finn and Chloe devise this plan in hopes that the ensuing media attention will help them gain entry into a prestigious college. Every detail is painstakingly planned, and as Chloe hides in the basement of Finn's vacationing grandmother's house, Finn must deceive family, friends, police, and news reporters. The suspense builds as their plan becomes increasingly more difficult to sustain. Each turn of the page in this gripping novel will have readers anxious with anticipation as they wonder whether the plan will succeed or fail. The ending of this exciting and well-written novel will shock and surprise everyone as the girls discover the true extent of their deceit and learn that there were more victims then they initially realized. Reviewer: Denise Daley

Children's Literature - Denise Daley

Gr 8 Up—Looking for a way to differentiate themselves from all the other great students applying to prestigious universities, Finn and Chloe fake the latter's disappearance in order to attract attention. Chloe conceived this plan after following the media frenzy over an abducted teen's return to her family, sure that the now-famous Margaret Cook will be accepted to any college. Though plagued with doubts, Finn keeps a straight face while lying to everyone, occasionally sneaking out to check on Chloe, who is hiding in her vacationing grandmother's basement. Despite having discussed every extenuating circumstance imaginable, the girls are stunned when police arrest Chloe's friend Dean for her murder, a crime only they know he did not commit. They stage her return from her "kidnapping" with surprisingly few complications, but things are never the same between the two best friends. Describing events from Finn's first-person perspective, Corrigan paints a complex portrait both of a family in grief and the emotions involved in deception. She deftly captures the way one mistake can lead to others, snowballing into a situation that seems insurmountable. Unfortunately, the story's premise is a bit hard to swallow. With modern society offering so many other routes to becoming a celebrity, it's hard to believe the teens would take this one. Readers who can get past that will find this well-paced, mature, psychological tale is impossible to put down.—Jennifer Barnes, formerly at Homewood Library, IL

School Library Journal

In the tradition of YA suspense master Gail Giles, Corrigan creates a tense, bare-bones thriller that both provides a nerve-wracking ride and reveals its central characters' greed, selfishness and capacity for evil. When the story opens, city-born golden girl Chloe Caffrey has disappeared, putting the New Jersey farm town of Colt River and, soon, national TV audiences into a panic. Only narrator Finn, Chloe's best friend, knows the truth: Chloe's disappearance is a hoax. In 11 days, Finn will "discover" Chloe in the woods, and the two girls hope the fame they achieve will secure them places at the nation's most selective colleges. Though college admission seems less than compelling as a motive for such a destructive scheme, the tension is real and unrelenting. Chloe's calculating indifference is a perfect, chillling foil to Finn's mounting distress as both girls' families react, guidance counselors and fellow students pry and a shy boy from school is taken into police custody as a suspect. A dark page-turner with a satisfying resolution. (Suspense. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

"A dark page-turner with a satisfying resolution." - Kirkus

"Corrigan has crafted a complex, heart-wrenchingly plausible YA thriller. Peopled with multifaceted teen and adult characters, the story flows from secrets to lies, from a few harsh words to terrible accusations, and from supreme innocence to soul-sucking guilt. A fascinating character study of individuals and an entire town, this tension-filled story will entice readers." - Booklist

From the Publisher