I'm a sucker for a book within a book which also includes glimpses of the workings of the publishing world and MFA programs. This book checks all those boxes. Jake is an author who has made a name for himself with his debut novel, but he's having trouble coming up with a blockbuster. To support himself he has taken on a teaching gig at an MFA program, where one student shares his plot for his novel, which should be an instant hit. The story immediately picks up steam after that.
Since I am a reader who wants to know as little as possible about a book, I will not provide any more plot points. Although I did guess the twist fairly early in the book, I still found the rest of the book and how all is revealed and wrapped up very satisfying. What I liked about the book is the realistic inner dialogue that Jake has with himself to justify his actions. His paranoia takes over his life and prevents him from enjoying his success and it makes him (and the reader) wonder if it was all worth it.
There is so much to unpack and discuss that I think this would be an excellent book club choice.
Thank you #NetGalley and #Celadon and #ThePlotBook for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars...

Very sloww, did not hold my interest/captivate me. I wanted to finish to see how it ended, but it didn't get juicy enough until 20% from the end. I wish it had this pace throughout.

Wasn't for me (the writing didn't flow effortlessly).

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted review copy.

(Thank you netgalley - I just finished the print copy before this title was granted to me)

This is a fantastic, fun book to read! It kept me guessing up until the very end. I didn't expect the turn that was taken. I enjoyed how the plot slowly unfolding revealing a little at a time. I also liked how there was a pieces of a book within this book. I think most mystery readers will find this a very enjoyable way to spend reading time.

“The Plot” does for the publishing world what Korelitz’ earlier novel “Admission” did for the Ivy League admissions process – namely give the reader an insider’s perspective of a highly competitive industry.

Jacob Finch Bonner is a one-hit wonder of an author, who is now making his meager living as a creative writing instructor at a low-ranked, low-residency MFA program. When an obnoxious student shares his idea for a unique plot, only to die shortly thereafter without executing his idea, Jake decides it is a story worth telling, so he will write the book instead.

His book -- titled “The Plot” -- hits the best-seller list, and Jake basks in the accolades. Shortly thereafter, Jake is cyber-stalked by “Talented Tom” who taunts, “You are a thief.” Tension builds as Jake attempts to trace the identity of Talented Tom back to the MFA program and simultaneously mitigate the threat of being exposed as a plagiarist.

As the title would suggest, this novel is plot driven. The characters are not particularly likeable or well-developed. If anything, the publishing industry may be the most interesting “character.” I enjoyed references to famous authors, MFA programs, artistic communities like Yaddo, book tours, literary scandals, and the legalities of borrowing versus plagiarizing. Often with suspense/mystery novels, there are not enough topics for a lively book club discussion. Not so with “The Plot.” The many ethical decision points facing Jake provide ample fodder.

A note on the audio version: the narrator’s voice sounded mechanical to me initially. Think of a GPS voice. I wondered if this was intentional -- to go with Jake’s bland personality. Eventually, I got used to it and did a combination of audio and reading.

Solid 4 stars, but it would've been better if it were shorter.
This 'slow burn' was a little too slow for me. I get that there's a lot of information to be told, but this felt so long that I almost lost interest barely up to halfway. Although it wasn't as explosive as the blurb has promised, it was still an enjoyable, and at times, thrilling read. The pacing got faster later in the book and ended with a shocking twist.

With a semi-successful novel behind him, author, Jacob “Finch” Bonner is hopeful that lightning will strike twice. The trouble with that is, he is currently suffering from a case of writer’s block. In the interim, he begins teaching creative writing at a subpar college in Vermont where an encounter with a student, Evan Parker, changes his life forever.

During an introductory teacher-student meeting, Evan discloses the plot of the story he claims will shoot him straight to stardom and it is simply left at that. That is, until years later when Evan, still struggling to keep relevant as a novelist, discovers that Evan has died.

Casting aside his moral compass, Jacob steals the plot of his former student and sets his sights on finding celebrity. And he does..... but not without ramifications.
~
A fun, suspenseful read that starts as a slow burn until the halfway mark. The second half is where all the fun is at!

Sure to be a star of its own, look for The Plot coming out today, May 11th!

Many thanks to @netgalley @celadonbooks and @jeanhanff for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found the beginning to be slow and repetitive at times, but “the plot” (😉) was interesting, and it definitely picked up midway!

“The Plot,” by Jean Hanff Korelitz, Celadon Books, 336 pages, May 11, 2021.

Years ago, Jacob Finch Bonner wrote a successful debut novel, “The Invention of Wonder.” His second novel wasn’t a success. His third and fourth novels weren’t published.

He is still writing, but Jake also teaches at an annual three-week writing symposium at the small Ripley College in Vermont. An arrogant student, Evan Parker, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book is a best-seller that can’t fail.

Jake thinks Evan is merely a jerk until he reads the eight pages that Evan submits. They are well-written. Then in a private session, Evan reveals his plot. To Jake’s dismay, he realizes it will make a great novel.

But the book is never published. Two years later, Jake decides to find out why. He learns that Evan died a few months after they met. Jake decides to write that book himself. He entitles it “Crib.” And it is a huge success.

Then Jake gets the first in a barrage of anonymous emails and tweets accusing him of theft. Did he do anything unethical? He couldn’t have plagiarized the novel, as he only read a few pages of the first draft which wasn’t published. And plots can’t be copyrighted.

But does an author have the right to use someone else’s story idea if that person doesn’t write it? As Jake says, “If nobody reads it, it doesn’t exist.” Korelitz alternates the story of Jake’s attempt to find out who is accusing him with chapters from “Crib.”

“The Plot” is a gripping read with good character development. The storyline is amazing with a major twist three-quarters of the way in. It has an outstanding ending. There is a slow trickle of details to help you figure out what is happening. I guessed early on who was accusing Jake, but I didn’t guess the motive. This is the “big twist” novel of the year and will be on many best of the year lists.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for a review.

Super fun -- a good mix of mystery/thriller and social commentary.


Review copy provided by publisher.

While a bit slow moving at first, The Plot turned out to be a tricky, intriguing story that was cleverly told while being quietly vicious. It was so interesting how the author carried the main character, Jake, through the story- from being rather pretentious and unlikable at first to being someone who, while he was still a terribly flawed character, was someone I was deeply concerned for and felt I understood by the end. Throughout the story, there are some excerpts from the "book" that Jake writes using his former student's plot idea, and it's just enough to give readers a taste of what was so compelling about this idea that he needed to use it and why it fascinated so many readers. This is one of those stories that is somewhat hard to review- it's necessary to be somewhat vague since much of the enjoyment of this book is to be had in not knowing where things are going and how the connections will be made. Suffice to say, though, that it's one certainly worth reading.

“You’re only as successful as the last book you published, and you’re only as good as the next book you’re writing. So shut up and write.”

Jacob Finch Bonner had some mild success with his first book, but couldn’t seem to follow that up with his subsequent efforts. He takes a job teaching at a third rate MFA program and stops writing. Then his arrogant student Evan Parker/Parker Evan informs him that he has come up with a plot twist to end all plot twists, and Jacob braces himself for the impact. Some time passes and Evan’s book still hasn’t been written, and after some digging he finds that he is dead. Is it immoral/illegal to use his late students idea to further his own success?

How thought provoking! What are the legal ramifications of stealing an idea...if that idea was never brought to fruition? This was a very enjoyable read for me. It is more of a slow burn thriller, but I felt that it worked here. I did guess both major “reveals” early on in the book, and I never see those things coming . But that actually added to my enjoyment of the story as it had me flipping those pages to see if I guessed right. The book within a book concept is weaved nicely into the story with actual pages of Jacob’s book Crib as chapters. I loved this as it had me trying to guess the plot of two stories at once!

Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon books and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At the start of this novel, main character Jacob is a struggling writer teaching in an MFA program, when an arrogant student tells him he has a plot idea sure to be a bestseller. Several years later, Jacob is wondering if the book will ever be published, and discovers that the student died without ever publishing it - and uses the idea to write his own novel which does indeed become a huge bestseller. But the knowledge of what he did hangs over him - and especially when he receives an email accusing him of being a thief. Jacob then starts trying to figure out what is going on. It takes a long time before we find out what the plot even was, as excerpts of the book within the book slowly unfold as it goes on. Obviously this book is very meta, not just because of the book within the book but because so much of it is about writers and the craft of writing. It’s also a little hard to characterize this book - it’s not really a thriller, but an extremely slow burn psychological suspense. It definitely starts out slow, though well-written throughout, and I actually guessed some of the twist that happened towards the end, but nonetheless the very end left me with my jaw hanging open!

This was an uneven read for me, though ultimately a compelling one.
The first 15% of the novel is spending time with insufferable Jake. As the novel unfolds I understood that in order to appreciate Jake's choices you had to see how he responded to his failed aspirations, but for I initially worried that we were going to spend all of the book navel-gazing with him and his unhappiness. And that it would be all these run-on sentences and little dialogue, but that diminished as Jacob's world opened up.
I also worried that we'd never hear the incredible plot because that would mean that the actual real-life author felt that this plot was a guaranteed success, which felt like an odd thing to tout within your own book. But we do learn of the plot and it's a lot of fun reading Jake's version of the story he hears as he begins to realize that he's taken something from real life.

It was a book that I trudged through initially, but found myself thinking about when I wasn't reading it by about the halfway mark, and then finished quickly by the last quarter.

When I say that I could NOT put this book down, I mean it. The start was fairly slow and I really did not want to keep going after that- but once I did this story really took off and eventually hit a crazy peak at the end I did not really see coming. I love books that include other books in them, it really adds such a fun layer as the reader. The concept of Jake a struggling writer realizing that his former student Evan Parker who had shared an incredible book idea with him many years before had passed away. Jake had decided that he would publish this book as his own... but can he live with this guilt of knowing that this was not his idea? Overall, I was able to identify the culprit in this unique thriller about at the half way point- the twisting and turning that cresendos to the end really makes for a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone. I cannot wait to get my hands on another book from Korelitz!

Thanks so much @netgalley and @celadonbooks for this ARC to review.

Life hasn't gone the way Jacob Finch Bonner imagined. After his first published book receives some recognition, he expects more words to flow, more attention, and fame. What he gets is a subpar second novel, a dose of writer's block, and a job at a third-rate college teaching MFA students. Add to his anger and disappointment, a young student, Evan Parker, has the perfect plot for his book. Jacob can barely contain his jealousy, certain that Evan's book will get all the accolades Jacob deserves.

Time passes and Jacob's life does not improve. Searching for what he is sure is a best seller by Evan, he is stunned to discover that Evan died shortly after taking his class. That plot, that unused and unwritten plot is still out there, seemingly just waiting for Jacob to write the story. Is outright stealing, after all, it is just an idea and one that will require him to do the hard work of writing and selling the book. Who actually owns an idea?

Thus far, Jacob is a far cry from a likable character, and I put my money on his taking the plot and writing the book. The next time we see Jacob, he has published Crib, and every one of his dreams has come true. Crib is a best seller, he is the envy of other writers, and the public can't get enough. But Jacob worries about how he got his idea and soon someone who knows the truth might ruin everything. His career, his reputation, and his relationship with Anna, the woman of his dreams.

Jacob goes on a journey to uncover Evan's past and discovers his killer plot might have been better left alone. As he searches for the truth and a way to save himself, someone has another plot in mind and another idea of how this story should end.

Well, that ending! I saw it coming and crossed my fingers that I was wrong. I guessed the identity of his stalker early on, and I honestly think the author meant for that to happen. We know who is pulling the strings, but can Jacob see the truth before it is too late?

A very good story about the ups and downs of a writer's life, and even though I never really felt sorry for Jacob (he is a loathsome man), I hoped for one more killer twist and maybe even a different ending. Alas, The Plot was already written.

Meet Jake Finch Bonner ... he's an author of a couple of books and while neither were greatly received, it was enough to land him a position of teaching in a small program. He's written a couple of others , but he still carries them around in his briefcase .. unseen by anyone else.

In his classroom of maybe a dozen wanna-be authors is Evan Parker. Parker brags that he doesn't really need to be taught anything at all .... he has the greatest plot ever. Jake is prepared to dismiss his bragging .. until he hears the plot.

Bonner accepts that his writing career is over, and he waits patiently for Parker's book to be published. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

It's called plagiarism.

And once Bonner receives accolades for "his" newest book, he receives an anonymous email .. someone knows his secret. It escalates .. emails, twitter, threats sent to his home, his publisher....

(BOOK BLURB) As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

With an intricate plot and deftly drawn characters, it's quite a journey to get the answers to the questions Bonner should have asked before he decided to steal another's words. The suspense starts at the very first and steadily holds until the unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Macmillan Publishers / Macmillan Reading Insiders Club / Netgalley for the digital copy of this excellent psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

In "The Plot," by Jean Hanff Korelitz, Jacob Bonner has fallen on hard times. His first book, "The Invention of Wonder," received positive notices, but his subsequent efforts were failures that, Jake fears, may have spelled the end of his writing career. To pay the bills, he teaches creative writing to adults in Vermont, but dreams about writing another novel that will wow the critics and earn him the recognition he craves. Back in the real world, one of Jake's students, Evan, is an obnoxious fellow who boasts that he has a sure-fire idea for a novel. Jake reads a sample of Evan's work and, notwithstanding his dislike of this young man, he is impressed with Evan's natural talent.

Two-and-a-half years pass, and Jake makes a fateful decision—to borrow details from his former student's unfinished manuscript and use this material to write a novel of his own. Jake's new book, "Crib," is so successful that everyone, it seems, is reading this page-turner that is slated to be made into a major motion picture. Jake's fortunes have vastly improved, and everything is going swimmingly until, one day, someone threatens to reveal that he is a literary thief.

This fast-paced and engrossing tale has a grim story within a story about a contentious mother and daughter whose relationship is, at best, distant, and at worst, hostile. As for Jake, although he rationalizes his misdeeds, he earns our pity, since he is basically a decent but weak-willed man whose troubles stem from his appallingly bad judgment. "The Plot" is a clever mystery as well as a scathing satire that pokes fun at the pretentiousness and greed of writers and publishers. In addition, Korelitz raises a thought-provoking question: Who owns the rights to an idea that has not yet found its way into print? The twist at the end is not entirely surprising, but it serves as a fitting coda to this unsettling and entertaining thriller.

Logophiles will delight in the eloquent structure and vocabulary of this innovative thriller. As someone who enjoys writing and crafting sentences, reading this was an absolute treat, not only because it deals intimately with the writing process and the inner workings of publishing and authors, but every phrase is a lesson in terminology and verbiage aesthetics. Not to mention, you’re reading two different books at the same time, bouncing between the main story, and the story that is the reason for all the drama that makes up this book. Aside from this structural deviation, all the traditional anticipated twists and turns are present. There are times when it’s difficult to wrap your head around some of the wilder concepts of the main character’s amateur sleuthing, or the crazy cast developments, but it still makes for a compelling and worthy weekend read.

An advanced copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher. The opinions are my own.

🌟Book Review 🌟 The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5. Even though I figured out the ending to this book-within-a-book thriller, it didn’t make it any less fun watching everything fall into place.

I don’t often give thrillers five stars, but this one deserves them! I DEVOURED this book. Mini-synopsis: A previously up-and-coming, but now struggling author/professor hears a sure-thing plot from one of his students that is too good not to steal. When the student dies, the author writes a novel using his student’s plot and receives world-wide acclaim. Things take a stressful turn, though, when he receives an email that simply states: “You are a thief.” I probably don’t have to tell you that things go downhill from there. Read if you like books about writers, books-within-books, meta storylines, and if you enjoy watching everything unfold even though you might have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen, alá Columbo. Be warned that the beginning is slooooowwww — hang in there until things get going! I switched back and forth between the audio book and the eARC, ultimately finishing with the eARC because I needed answers faster than the narrator was giving them to me!

Thank you to Netgalley, Jean Hanff Korelitz, MacMillan Audio, and Celadonbooks for the ALC and ARC.

My review will be posted on Instagram (@sanfranliterarygal) and Goodreads on publication day.

This plot started off slow for me and I had a hard time liking Jake. His character was weak and apologetic, stemming from his belief that he just wasn’t good enough to be a writer. Than Evan’s story falls into his hands and Jake’s life changes, yet he is still easy to dislike. As the threats roll in and Jake finds himself pursuing the truth behind Evan’s story, the plot gets quite intriguing and I literally could not put the book down.

The quest to find the truth changed Jake for me and I found myself really liking him. There were times he was so bold in his own book investigation that I had to remind myself that he was a writer and not a cop. The plot ends up being nothing I could have imagined and I do love that when an author can make you gasp out loud and then keep you guessing. Jean Hanff Korelitz lays out and intertwines the plot within the plot so cleverly that I couldn’t wait for the twisty truth to come out! This book is binge-worthy!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of this book.