Kate believes her daughter, 15-year-old Amelia, has committed suicide, jumping from the roof of her private school—until she receives an anonymous text saying simply, “Amelia didn’t jump.” Could she have been murdered? Kate, a successful attorney, is determined to find out even as she is haunted by the fear she has failed her daughter, too often putting her career ahead of her responsibilities as a mother. McCreight has written an elaborately plotted mystery that not only tells Kate’s story but also includes Amelia’s own first-person narrative along with her e-mails, texts, and Facebook posts, all of which tell a harrowing story while keeping the reader one step ahead of Kate and the police. This first novel occasionally requires a willing suspension of disbelief and comes dangerously close to melodrama near the end, but McCreight does a fine job of building suspense and creating characters, notably Kate and Amelia, whom the target audience—both adults and older teens—will care about and empathize with. --Michael Cart
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
“Like
Gone Girl,
Reconstructing Amelia seamlessly marries a crime story with a relationship drama. And like
Gone Girl, it should be hailed as one of the best books of the year…A” (
Entertainment Weekly)
“Just finished a fantastic novel–
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. So. Well. Done. If you liked
Gone Girl, you’ll love this too.” (Jodi Picoult)
“Clever and scary . . . McCreight has her finger on the private school zeitgeist. . .and this disturbing tale will make older readers fondly recall the days when kids got in trouble for passing (print) notes in class.” (
USA Today)
“Did Amelia Baron really get caught cheating and then commit suicide—or is the truth more sinister? A nail-biter for Gone Girl fans.” (People)
“Reconstructing Amelia will keep you hooked till the last page.” (
BookPage)
“
Gossip Girl meets
Gone Girl.” (
Entertainment Weekly, “Summer Must” List)
“
Wow! I was pulled in after reading the first page.… It’s sort of a thriller/prep school teen drama that is full of secrets.” (People.com Staff Pick)
“[A] mystery with enough red herring to stock Lake Michigan…this is the novel most likely to be found in coming weeks not on the beach but on the F train. ” (
New York Times)
“McCreight captures the complexities, cruelty and angst of teenage girls so well my stomach was in knots. What really happened to Amelia? You’ll find yourself staying up all night to find out.” (Jennifer McMahon,
New York Times-bestselling author of
The One I Left Behind)
“The real story of Amelia’s life and death emerges slowly, through a creative blend of Kate’s present, Amelia’s past, and such varied communication methods as texts, e-mails, blog entries, and Facebook status updates. . . . Fans of literary thrillers will enjoy the novel’s dark mood and clever form.” (
Publishers Weekly)
“A multilayered legal thriller. . . . Comes to a seamless and unanticipated conclusion.” (
Kirkus Reviews)
“An elaborately plotted mystery. . . . A harrowing story. . . . McCreight does a fne job of building suspense and creating characters, notably Kate and Amelia, whom the target audience—both adults and older teens—will care about and empathize with.” (
Booklist)
“McCreight combines a poignant, pulled-from-the-headlines story with writing sanctified by
Antietam Review and
Oxford magazine.” (
Library Journal)
“We love a powerful debut, and this is just that.… It’s Mean Girls meets The Secret History meets the cyberbullying case of Amanda Todd––and it’s unputdownable.” (
Daily Candy)
“Fast-paced and suspenseful…. a page-turning mystery and thriller will appeal to…fans of Jodi Picoult.” (
School Library Journal)
“Kimberly McCreight’s debut novel shines a light on teen-girl culture.…I wanted to keep reading.” (
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
“A tale of elaborate mystery intertwined with the tenderness of a mother’s love,
Reconstructing Amelia exudes suspense at every turn…. Gripping and tragic, [it] is a true page turner.” (
Click)