The Accomplice: A Novel

Lies, lies, lies. Everything seems to be twisted and steeped in deceit in Lisa Lutz’s latest: The Accomplice. For many years, Luna and Owen have had a bond that is preternaturally strong, but not physically intimate. Their dedication to each other is constantly tested by misunderstandings, omissions, and jealousies. Everyone else in their lives come second, even spouses and children. Unfortunately, both are also fiercely keeping things from each other that may eventually erode their deep connection. There also just happens to be an excessive number of accidental deaths that are left in their wake. In The Accomplice, Lutz is trying too hard to reiterate her messages of trust and fidelity. The dating pool must be tiny in their town, since everyone is having an affair with each other’s partners or siblings. The tight-knit characters betray each other and cover up repeatedly. There’s blackmail, revenge, and too many secrets to permit a clear protagonist. Just keeping track of all the infidelities is made that much harder by disjointed flashbacks and a perpetually shifting timeline. The secondary characters seem to exist purely as tools for artificially cranking up tension, and their back stories are barely tethered to the main story. I have enjoyed many of Lisa Lutz’s other books and series, but The Accomplice was a bit too confusing and reliant on coincidence for my tastes.