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The Young Accomplice

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In a quiet Surrey village sits Leventree, an architectural practice set up by idealistic couple Florence and Arthur Mayhood, offering apprenticeships to young offenders after their release. Motivated by his own memories of Borstal, Arthur aims to mentor young adults with a troubled upbringing and give them opportunities to succeed.

Their first protégées are siblings, Joyce and Charlie Savigear, who quickly settle in; but when a dangerous figure from Joyce's past comes knocking, the Mayhoods' earnest hopes of doing good turn tragic. Forced into betrayal, Joyce must make a decision that will change her brother's life and threaten everything the Mayhoods have been trying to build.

A sinister and thrilling story that unpicks the tendrils of power and choice, lies and truth, and dire consequences borne of good intentions.


***PRAISE FOR BENJAMIN WOOD***

'A novelist to watch' - The Times, on A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better

'A resounding achievement . . . Rich, beautiful and written by an author of great depth and resource' - Guardian, on The Ecliptic

'Exhilarating, earthy, cerebral, frank and unflinching . . . A masterfully paced and suspenseful read' - Independent, on The Ecliptic

© Benjamin Wood 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological

Critic reviews

Britain's answer to Donna Tartt
Tense and full of menace (Johanna Thomas-Corr)
Highly accomplished . . . It's idealistic, gripping and beautifully textured, moving with great power. It's rare to see such attention to character and setting, and I think Wood is one of Britain's best young writers (Philip Womack)

This satisfyingly old fashioned- feeling novel from a youngish author strikingly conveys its 1950s rural setting, and has a grim pull of foreboding . . . Benjamin Wood's perspective-shifting novel weaves elements of
thriller, romance and coming-of-age to gripping, memorable effect
A treat . . . Wood's daring narrative decisions show he hasn't lost the old spark, but has just added to it with his new repertoire. What, it asks, are the opportunities available to someone who wants to leap clear of their wrong beginnings, when everything that hurts has already been cut? (John Self)
Benjamin Wood knows how to generate tension, makes lively characters you can see and hear, and writes about rural England in a sensitive, considered way that doesn't stray into the nostalgic. A huge talent (Hilary Mantel)
Wood is a seriously talented writer, able to enter the minds of his characters with eerie precision. The Young Accomplice is an involving tale of revenge and responsibility, which, while it devastates, also tells us that new lives can be built among the ashes
[Wood's] best novel yet . . . [he] deserves to be far better known (John Self)
A British novelist who deserves more attention than he has had . . . Wood blends storytelling punch with literary sensibility . . . The Young Accomplice shows the difference between a book that slides down the surface of things, and one that digs it claws into you and sticks there

Benjamin Wood is a beautiful writer and this is his best novel yet, both gripping and unputdownable. Like people in Thomas Hardy, his characters surge from the page, and the mystery unfolds with a sureness seldom seen in contemporary British fiction

(Andrew O’Hagan, author of Mayflies)
All stars
Most relevant
I think there was quite a good yarn buried behind the amateur narration. A shame.

Narration

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Alas the reader of this book really wrecked the experience. The number of mispronunciations was laughable (hydrangeas, tarmacadam etc). And his ‘performance’ of all the characters was in a depressing whiny voice. V disappointing. Hard to comment on the book itself alas because of that.

Ruined by reader

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