FICTION

Fall from Grace

by Charles BENOIT
294p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-194707-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211436-5.
COPY ISBN
Gr 8 Up—This portrait of a floundering teen should find a rapt audience. Sawyer is an insular but likable high school senior fighting an urge to rebel against conformity at home and at school. His parents are so controlling that they select his extracurricular activities and classes. They've already picked his college (their alma mater), and his dad denies Sawyer's request to apply elsewhere. His parents could win a prize for most annoying people in the story, but Sawyer's girlfriend is a close second. Zoë is a jealous gossip who treats him so scornfully that Sawyer isn't even sure he can consider them lovers. His life is predictable and planned out until Grace, a girl from the poor side of town who has no college plans and is possibly homeless, shakes up his world. She's determined to get a little fun by breaking the rules. Grace and Sawyer bond over old movies, The Sting being a favorite. When she helps him cheat on an exam, he becomes intrigued by her smarts and spontaneity, two qualities that draw him into her grand scheme to steal a great work of art. Too bad she's almost as absorbed in herself as he is or she might have something to offer Sawyer beyond her own ambition and self-interest. Some readers might find the ending a little depressing and cynical, but the story is clever and original nonetheless.—Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY
Sawyer, a good-looking high school kid with everything he could possibly want, is tired of doing the expected and agrees to abet a girl named Grace in a theft she's planning. Benoit accomplishes something difficult--a well-paced novel about ennui, what Sawyer might have called his condition had he known the word. A satisfying examination of one high school boy's life of quiet desperation.
Why would a good-looking high school kid with college in the bag, a beautiful girlfriend, a decent part-time job, solid grades, and his life planned out for him help a girl he barely knows commit a serious crime that could land him in jail? Sawyer’s got a bad feeling about his life, a feeling he can’t quite name; he’s bored, and he senses that "life was a game…But someone else was working the controls." He’s tired of doing the expected and following the safe path; he wants to be a player and take some risks. When he agrees to abet Grace Sherman, the girl he meets at a Model United Nations, in the theft she’s planning, he says, "I’ve been an accessory for years. I’m upgrading to accomplice." But as this subtly woven tale unfolds, Sawyer realizes he is less an accomplice and more a pawn, and by story’s end he falls from Grace back into his comfortable life, an outcome readers -- as well as Sawyer -- may find disappointing, if inevitable. In a story reminiscent of The Graduate, Benoit accomplishes something difficult­ -- a well-paced novel about ennui, what Sawyer might have called his condition had he known the word. A satisfying examination of one high school boy’s life of quiet desperation. dean schneider
Reviewed by Georgia Christgau , Jun 01, 2012

Be the first reader to comment.

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

BOOKS

Hoot Hoot
by Georgette
FICTION

Who Will Rule the Trees?
by Kimmel, Eric A.
FICTION

Go Bananas!
by Peele, A. B.
FICTION

The Dark Is For
by Kohuth, Jane
BOOKS

We Run This House: The Girls’ Guide to Flag Football
by Dickens, AnnaSofia
BOOKS

How the Other Half Die
by Roscoe, P. C.
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?