Duncan, the 17-year-old narrator of Graham McNamee's award-winning novel Acceleration, has the most boring summer job ever: working in lost and found for the Toronto Transit Authority. When Duncan finds a journal in the lost and found, he decides to pass the time with some reading. Soon Duncan realizes that the author of journal is a serial killer in the making, and he's accelerating. Roach, as Duncan nicknames the owner of the journal, began, like many serial killers, with killing animals and committing arson, but now he is stalking three women, and Duncan is sure that soon he will kill. The previous summer, Duncan failed to save a drowning girl, and now he sees his chance to be the hero. When the police refuse to take him seriously, Duncan enlists the help of his friends to find the would-be killer and stop him. Duncan scours the journal for clues. Will he be able to find out Roach's true identity and stop him before he kills? Or will he fail again in his efforts to save the girl and be the hero? Read Acceleration to find out!
Review
Acceleration is the perfect title for this book, not just because of term's relation to the increasingly violent actions of Roach, but also for the pace of this suspenseful read. Many young adult readers will identify with Duncan's desire to be the hero, his sense of failure, and his frustration with authority figures, namely the police, who don't believe him. Those who are fascinated by serial killers or who love shows like Criminal Minds that deal with serial killers will recognize the characteristics in the journal just as Duncan does. The theme of responsibility in this novel could lead to some great discussions. This is a novel that I would highly recommend to my teenage students, but one that I, as an adult reader, truly enjoyed as well.
References
McNamee, G. (2003). Acceleration. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
[Photograph of acceleration cover] (2011). Retrieved on September 26, 2011,
from: http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/
7766091/used/Acceleration
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