Book Summary
In this suspenseful mystery, 17-year-old
Duncan takes a summer job in the Lost and Found Center of the Toronto Transit
Authority. He comes across many unusual objects here, but one item in
particular catches his attention: a leather journal. But this is no typical
journal because it includes the sick and twisted thoughts of someone who seems
to be stalking women on the subway and planning to kill them. Duncan doesn’t
know what to do—he is concerned for the welfare of these women, but he has no
idea who wrote the journal, and he doubts that any police or authority will
take him seriously enough to help him figure it out. Ultimately, Duncan decides
to do everything he can to find this man. And his mission is spurred on by the
lingering guilt he feels about an incident that happened to him the previous
summer: a girl drowned near him at a lake. He was the person closest to her,
the only one who could have possibly saved her, and he didn’t get to her in
time. Now the drowned girl haunts him in his dreams, keeps him from sleeping,
makes him feel dazed and confused from all of the regret. But Duncan feels like
the journal, and the sick man who wrote it, are an opportunity to make up for
what he didn’t do last time. Duncan thinks he found this journal for a reason,
and he’s not going to give up. So with some research into the psychology of
serial killers—which teaches him about the concept of “acceleration,” when
people escalate in harmful behaviors (p. 88)—and with the help of his friends
Vinny and Wayne, Duncan tracks this man down and puts an end to his destructive
plans. But it’s definitely not an easy journey.
APA Reference of Book
McNamee, G. (2003). Acceleration. New York, NY: Dell Laurel-Leaf.
Impressions
I really got
into this book—the growing tension that slowly builds until the very end makes
this a gripping page-turner, and I didn’t want to put it down. Plus, like I
mentioned in a class discussion post, I can see how this book could easily
appeal to teens and young adults with its urban setting (Toronto, Canada), its combination
of humor and suspense, and its rebellious sort of outlook that could resonate
with youth (Dunham, 2012). In addition to an engaging plot, occasional twists,
and an unpredictable ending, the characters in this book feel authentic and
multidimensional, and the main characters (Duncan and his friends Vinny and
Wayne) seem to accurately portray real teens (Dunham, 2012). Their dialogue
seems quick, realistic, and age-appropriate. Duncan’s parents also aren’t flat characters,
and they are portrayed as having strengths and weaknesses and as having
realistic feelings.
I think this
book provided an enjoyable reading experience for several reasons. First of
all, it has a realistic premise that I think could actually happen. I
appreciated the fact that the characters Duncan and Vinny researched the
psychology of serial killers, and the information from this research seemed to
make the story of this twisted man more plausible and believable. Also, like I
noted in a class discussion post, Duncan’s motivations for finding the author
of the journal are clear and understandable—he wants to save innocent people
and make up for the guilt he feels about not saving the girl who drowned the
previous summer (Dunham, 2012). It also feels like Duncan changes throughout
the story, learning to get past the feelings he has about the previous summer
and growing up a bit. Furthermore, the plot gradually builds in suspense and
tension throughout the book until an action-packed climax eventually provides a
resolution at the end that effectively solves or ends the mystery. Throughout
it all, there is humor that provides occasional relief from the growing
tension.
The author also
does a great job of utilizing the setting to reinforce the mood, using the hot
summer weather and the longstanding drought to mirror the defeat and
frustration that Duncan feels, and then describing a heavy rain that finally
occurs when the resolution is near (Dunham, 2012). For instance, once Duncan
and Vinny start to experience some leads in figuring out to whom the journal
belongs, there is a change in the weather. From Duncan’s point of view, McNamee
(2003) writes, “I take a deep breath and blow it out. I lean back, looking way
up to the big skylight. Dark clouds have rolled in, blocking the sun, promising
the first rain in forever” (p. 138).
Overall, I
thought McNamee succeeded in provided detailed descriptions that set an
appropriate mood and painted a distinct picture for readers. For instance, on
pages 42-43, McNamee describes a moment Duncan has while swimming in the pool
with Wayne and having some sort of panic attack due to his bad experience with
water (McNamee, 2003, p. 42). The descriptions are so detailed and gripping
that I was able to easily imagine what Duncan was feeling and thinking in that
moment. I felt chilled. But I also think it made me relate to and care more
about Duncan as a character, and it even made me more invested in the plot.
While McNamee provides great details and descriptions, he also successfully
balances his expository writing with action in a way that holds the reader’s
attention and keeps the plot moving forward.
Although I
really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to young adults and adults who
are interested in mysteries, there were a couple of small things I did not
like. The entire novel is written as a first-person narrative from Duncan’s
point of view, which I think works well for this particular story in order to
build suspense and effectively portray how Duncan is feeling. However, chapter
three (page 12) is the only exception—it is a short chapter (basically about
one paragraph long), and it is from the perspective of the owner of the
journal. Aside from excerpts from the journal throughout the story that are
provided within the context of Duncan reading them, chapter three is the only
occurrence of giving the thoughts of the potential killer in an isolated
chapter, outside the context of the journal. It is unknown whether these
thoughts are written down in the journal or simply from the man’s head. Since
this only happens once, it feels out of place. Also, on page 14, Duncan
describes his friend Vinny, mentioning that Vinny’s hand is stuffed in his pocket,
which is followed by, “Tell you why later” (McNamee, 2003, p. 14). This is the
only noticeable time during which Duncan speaks directly to the reader, and it
feels too casual to me in comparison to the tone of the rest of the book.
Duncan does, however, begin to provide an explanation for Vinny’s hand within
the next couple of pages. In addition, there are some popular culture
references, referring to stars like Jennifer Lopez and Arnold Swarzenegger,
that will eventually make the book feel dated. At the same time, I still really
like this book and look forward to recommending it to others.
Professional Review
The following
was stated in a review of the book from Kirkus
Reviews (2003):
Seventeen-year-old Duncan hates his summer job in
the lost-and-found department of the Toronto Transit Commission. In his office
below the subway tunnels, Duncan sorts through and retrieves items lost on
buses and trains: a golf club, sunglasses, giant thong underwear, umbrellas,
and cell phones. When he looks through a lost diary and finds a would-be
murderer’s plans for his first victim, he decides to hunt him down. Having
failed recently in an attempt to save a drowning girl, he sees this as a chance
to redeem himself and stop his nightmares. Enlisting his wise-guy friends, Vinny
and Wayne, he stalks the stalker and finds himself in over his head. The
creepy, morgue-like setting and the friendship among the teenaged boys are
well-drawn, with a fair amount of humor to balance the chills. Though readers
may wonder why Duncan fails to consider certain obvious points along the way,
this is a well-written, read-it-in-one-gulp thriller. (para. 1)
Library
Uses
I enjoyed reading this exciting page-turner, and I
think teens and young adults would particularly enjoy it too because of the
sarcastic sense of humor, witty dialogue, and relatable teenaged characters. As
a result, this book could be read by a library’s Teen Advisory Board and
subsequently discussed during a unit on mystery and suspense novels. A Teen
Advisory Board meeting could start with a brief introduction to the mystery
genre during which the librarian explains some typical characteristics of
mystery novels and presents some questions one can ask when critiquing a
mystery novel. The librarian could also be prepared to discuss the book Acceleration with the teens (who would
have read the book beforehand) with some discussion starters in mind, but then
the librarian can let the Teen Advisory Board move the discussion where they
want from there. Discussion starters could include simple questions like, “What
did you like about this book? What didn’t you like about it?” More complex
questions to ask might be, “What would you have done if you were in Duncan’s
shoes? Would you have ignored the book, talked to the police, talked to your
parents? What were Duncan’s motivations for pursuing the potential murderer
himself? Was this book believable?” After the discussion, the Teen Advisory
Board could be invited to come up with some ideas for a teen program at the
library based on the mystery genre, including something like a murder mystery
night or a frightening scavenger hunt with clues hidden around the library.
References
Dunham, K. (2012, October 28). A mystery I read this week.
[Msg 1]. Message
posted to https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/entryPage.dowebct
[Review of the book Acceleration,
by G. McNamee]. (2003, September 15).
Kirkus
Reviews. Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com
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