Nadya Harrison
Accomplice vs The Impossible Knife of Memory
Similarities
- teenage perspective
- discuss the pressures placed on teens about college and school
- contain twisted characters
- shows how past affects the person people become
- teenage protagonist
Differences
- Accomplice had a teenage antagonist character, while the antagonist in The Impossible Knife of Memory was an adult at some points, but mainly the abstract idea of someone's past and their fears.
- Accomplice didn't show any examples of a rough home life, while that was the main idea of The Impossible Knife of Memory
- The Impossible Knife of Memory had romance, but Accomplice did not
Which Book Did I Enjoy More?
I personally enjoyed The Impossible Knife of Memory more. I read through it faster because it was more interesting to me, and captivated me. It was a very sad story, which I love, and Accomplice was more of a haunting story. Also, The Impossible Knife of Memory seemed more realistic to me than Accomplice. Lastly,The Impossible Knife of Memory had a definite happy ending, while Accomplice left me unsure and wanting a short epilogue.
Which Characters Did I Relate to More?
I related more to Finn, the main character in Accomplice. Finn was stressed constantly, which is how I'm feeling recently. However, she had some real serious things to be stressed about, while we only had the similar problem of school. I also related to Finn in the way that I feel like my friends are doing bad things sometimes, but when I say something about it, and my friends get angry like Chloe in the novel did, I tend to back down. Lastly, Finn feels inferior to Chloe, because everyone at school adores Chloe and Chloe is charming and pretty, and I, just like every other teenage girl, feel inferior to some of my friends in various ways at points. I didn't relate to Hayley in The Impossible Knife of Memory because I didn't have as tough as a life as she did, and I've never had a real romance.
Summary: The Impossible Knife of Memory
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson was about a teenager, Hayley, who lived with her father. They had been moving around constantly for years after he returned from fighting in the war and her mother passed away, but her senior year he decided to stay in one house. The novel is all about her struggles senior year, the main one being her father having PTSD and depression, while being an alcoholic. She had to take care of him and herself, all while struggling in school. The novel reveals a bit of her past at a time, while she opens up to others and to herself. Her new friend and boyfriend, Finn, helped her throughout the book open up and try to become better. By the end of the book, she and her father are working to overcome their struggles together.
Summary: Accomplice
Accomplice by Eirrean Corrigan is a novel about two best friends, Finn and Chloe, who are willing to do anything to get into a good college. They were good students, but were told that was not enough to succeed. They were told they had to be "special" and seeing a girl who was kidnapped and on national news gave Chloe the idea of faking a kidnapping. They faked Chloe's kidnapping, while she was really locked in Finn's grandmother's basement, and Finn was forced to be the girl who lost her best friend. Finn hated it and wanted to give it all up after just 3 days, but Chloe refused. Once Chloe came out after 11 days, Finn "saving her," Chloe revealed just how dark and manipulative she could be. She blamed a sweet, innocent boy in their grade, something that the two girls did not agree upon, and was fine with ruining his life. That was the last line for Finn and she began to come clean. Chloe wouldn't let her, but Finn wouldn't let Chloe get away with something so awful. The book leaves off with us not knowing for sure if Chloe got away with it or not, but it alludes to the fact that she doesn't