Member Reviews
This book starts off very slow but I promise you if you stick with it you will be rewarded with an amazing story! It centers on Jake, an author who had trouble maintaining success after his first book and is relegated to teaching writers courses at various schools. He talks to a very unlikable student who has an amazing idea, and when he sees later that the book hasn't yet been published, he takes the idea and writes it himself, to huge success. As time passes, he starts getting indications that someone knows what he did and tries desperately to protect himself.
This book is uniquely told by alternating between chapters from the actual novel Jake wrote with the chapters of what is happening right now and told from Jake's POV. I was equally interested in both storylines. As I said earlier, it does start slow- the first 3rd of the book felt like a slog but I read the rest of it late into the night once it got going. The author expertly weaves a complex story in a way that is easy to understand and ties what seemed like disparate pieces together, with multiple twists throughout. Though I did figure out who the villain was, I enjoyed reading up to the point where it was revealed to see if I was right, and didn't feel let down that I had guessed it. There were additional surprise reveals beyond that one as well.
I would absolutely recommend this book- rarely do I go from just pushing my way through a book like I did in the first part to finishing it and thinking "wow, what an amazing story". It's a unique storyline with an intriguing mystery, and Jake is a likeable (though flawed) character. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What an amazing thriller!
This book publishes later this month and I hope it gets the buzz it deserves.
This book opened up with a real life application of a moral dilemma - who owns the rights to a creative idea?
A creative writing teacher is struggling with writer's block and the pressure to deliver his next book. Normally, his students do not deliver inspiring work, but surprisingly one big-headed young writer surprises Jake with an incredible plot line.
Time goes by and Jake realizes that the book that sounded so promising was never written. His studend died, and he never finished his book. So, Jake takes the idea and writes a best selling novel out of it
While this is a very morally heavy subject, the story itself kept a thriller pace. I found myself reading this story every moment I could to see what happened next. Jake faces some serious consequences for his idea "theft." Slowly but surely, he realizes the issue isn't did he steal a plot idea, but whose true life story did he tell? The ending was a crazy twist for me! I did not expect Jake's book THE CRIBE to be a real life tale. And the person who comes after him totally took me by surprise. Also, the ending was freaken phenomenal. I was so happy to read a thriller where the main character doesn't make it out of the nightmare. It makes your investment in the novel so much more real.
You have to pick this up. And when you do, please message me to discuss the ending.
The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, is quite a creeper of a book - in the sense that it starts off real slow, sort of meandering around, building up two of the central characters you don't yet quite understand how or where they are going, and it breaks away and takes off somewhere just past the one-third mark.
The book is about a novel writer, Jake Bonner, and his book. The meta- approach doesn't quite become evident in the beginning, and all you see is the author, Jake, before "the plot". He is a one-book wonder, has had a second work that sank without a trace, and has been working on a third work for years now, without any obvious or realistic end date in mind.
You get to hear his backstory, and the initial portions of him in the Writing Workshop at Ripley, though seems to be well written - is clearly over-written. There is at least 50 pages there that didn't need to be, IMHO. The trick with writing meta is to not indulge and to do it well, or else it turns out to be much worse than ever intended. To write a story about an author who can't write anymore, and ends up wasting paper and the ink used to write on that paper - is surely ironic, considering the story you're reading seems to be dragging its feet, and can't really make up it's mind on where it is going, or even if and when. There are pages upon pages of descriptions and thoughts - mostly of Jake, and his baggage-heavy way of thinking about everything - only to realize the baggage is not in Jake, but is in this book you - the reader - are reading.
Not sure if that's a superlative achievement, or an affront (if not an outright insult).
Anyway, once the book is published, the story gathers speed and things actually begin to happen faster than paint dries.
In all fairness though, "The Plot" is actually reasonably well written, even though the writing seems a bit trite at times, and oblivious to the irony it is creating, but eventually it gathers enough momentum to actually move fast, and move well. The few other characters are well-enough drawn out. The twist was nice, though a little predictable (possibly, there was no one else who could be..!) - but satisfactory, nevertheless.
The "book" inside this book has some very strong characters, and - I kid you not - the writing in that story often comes across as more gripping and attention-demanding than this "outer book" (!). Again, not sure if that's intentional or a result of an oversight.
By and large, the thriller aspect catches up, and pushes the plotlines enough to fill in the holes, or obfuscate well where it can't fill. The last chapter, and the Epilogue - all that narration - seemed so dated and really tiresome. There could have been more meaningful conversation for those last few pages, that would have made us, the readers feel more for the characters. I guess the momentum gained by then didn't quite allow for much except ramming things through.
A clever plot - no doubt. One just wishes it were written smarter.
My thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan and Jean Hanff Korelitz for sharing a pre-publication advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
A plot too good to pass up and a story that is GUARANTEED to make millions? That is what every writer (and reader for that matter) dreams to encounter. This story follows Jake as he struggles to hold his footing in the writing world until he steals a plot from a dead man, then makes a LOT of poorly thought out decisions. Bouncing between his life & the novel he has written based on this WOWZA plot, this slow burn trickles one detail at a time to carefully unravel the truth. For me, the pace was slower than I wanted and the writing was a bit wordy. It fit Jake's personality, but I kept getting lost in sentences that seemed to go on forever. As the story unveils, the ending is a bit predictable yet sinister - both to the novel Jake writes and to The Plot itself. I love how carefully everything is tied together, however, with the hype around this book and the "amazing plot" that has everybody in shock... I was disappointedly not very shocked. I feel like the premise of this book set itself up to fail in part by saying this plot Jake has stolen is so amazing and has a twist you would never predict, so if you do inevitably predict it and find the plot kind of ordinary, you're going to be frustrated. Overall, I liked how carefully everything in this book was tied together and each story interlaced. While I enjoyed this story, I would say this book is less of a thriller/page turner and more of a character study into the mind of Jake and his novel. My opinion on this does seem to be on the unpopular side though, meaning you definitely should read this book and decide for yourself.
Thank you Celadon Books for my copy of THE PLOT , in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style and her ability to literally keep you turning pages - short chapters helped too. The characters were well-developed and I thought the premise was extremely clever. But the story fell a bit short for me. Keep in mind I’m used to reading faster paced thrillers and knowing this author wrote the book that inspired the tv adaptation THE UNDOING, I had pretty high expectations.
It was a quick read and was overall pretty enjoyable (with the most excitement happening in the last 15-20 pages) but I think I was expecting more and kept waiting for something BIG to happen. My bookclub is reading this one in august so I’ll be curious to hear their thoughts as they are a group of diverse genre readers.
Wow! This is the best thriller I've read this year. These days there are so many blurbs that say "You'll never guess the astounding twist!" --Well, that sums up this book. There is an astounding twist, and I never guessed it. All the evidence was carefully scattered throughout the text, but whoops, I didn't see THAT coming. I do love being fooled, and this book is so well written that it would be enjoyable even without the twist factor. The characters are vivid and believable, there's interesting info about the publishing world, and that OMG twist is in the Gone Girl league. I plan to read other books by this author, who was new to me.
This is a new release by a successful American author. Her previous works include "The Devil and Webster", "You Should Have Known" and " Admission", the latter two which were adapted for film. This new one is a psychological thriller. We meet Jacob who was considered a promising novelist after the release of his first book, but unfortunately he has not been able to live up to that promise. While teaching creative writing at a small college a student, Evan Parker, reveals the plot idea he has for a book. When he later discovers that Evan had died a few months later, Jacob writes his own book using Evan's idea and becomes a huge success. He also gets an email charging him with being a thief and that is only the beginning of a campaign against him. As Jake investigates he begins to realize the truth behind Evan's plot line. This is great recommendation for fans of the genre and anyone interested in the writing process.
Excellent read! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ebook. I loved that this was a literary title while still being really accessible. Will definitely recommend and purchase for my library.
I want to begin this review with a thank you to all of the other reviewers that came before me that warned of the slow start. It took me about 60 pages in before I felt any connection to this story. I might have put this aside if I hadn't gotten that warning and that would have been a shame because this was really well done.
Who owns the plot to a story? That's the question we ponder through out.
Jacob Finch Bonner meets an aspiring writer - albeit an arrogant aspiring writer - at an MFA program he's teaching. Said writer, Evan Parker / Parker Evan, claims he has a plot like no other. One that is sure to skyrocket him to fame in the literary world. He holds the details close to his chest but lets Jacob see a small snippet. Just a few pages, really, and Jacob is gobsmacked that this idiot actually has something here. Something that could be HUGE.
Fast forward four years and Jacob is riding high on the success of his latest novel, Crib. That is until he starts receiving threatening messages accusing him of plagiarism and theft of plot.
After the slow start this turned into a heck of a fun ride. I have to admit that I did figure out the *who* early on which normally would have annoyed me but not the case here. The writing was so addictive that I didn't even care that I figured it out. To watch all the pieces come together in the end was so incredibly clever and satisfying. I am not at all surprised to see this book getting the attention that it's getting. 4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and BookishFirst for my copy.
This book had all the making of a great thriller, however it was pretty lackluster is my opinion.
Jacob Finch Bonner was an up-and-coming author who just never panned. While teaching he comes across a student with the makings of a great book. When the student dies, he takes the story and publishes it as his own. All of the sudden Jake is thrown into the world of success, but someone out there knows the truth.
A lot of this book felt literary more than a thriller, and at times I was just not jiving with the story. The thing that redeems this book is the twist. It was so shocking you would never see it coming at all. I am sure this will be a hit this summer.
One note , I had an advanced copy of the audiobook and the e-book, and by far the ebook wins. Narration did absolutely for this story, and this might have been the reason, I was not digging it until I made the switch to the ebook.
Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a GOOD ONE. I have highly recommended this to my friends. Such a unique story line! 5 out of 5 stars for me.
Is is plagiarism if an author uses an idea for a plot of a book which was never written? That's the charge coming down on Jacob Finch Bonner- Jake- now that his book "Crib" has become a super best seller. He'd struggle for years after his first novel, gradually sliding down the pole til the day he learned that Evan Parker, a student in a writing seminar he taught at Ripley College had died. Parker had been convinced that he had the plot of all plots- the book that would conquer the world. And what was that plot? Well, no spoilers from me as bit of "Crib" are interspersed with the narrative. Jake's life is just starting to come together- he's met and married Anna- when the emails accusing him start. His quest for the truth, well, it gets wild. Korelitz is a brave writer to take on the various themes- she skewers writers, publishing, academia, and so on- and she does it with style. This is a compulsively readable thriller and if it's a little confusing near the end, that's what she meant it to be because all will be clear. Jake's a great character as is Anna. Thanks to Netgalley for the AEC. Two thumbs up.
Highly enjoyable, but also highly predictable. I figured out the twists long before any of them were revealed & got really mad at the main character for not figuring things out earlier himself. All-in-all I wish it was a lot meatier & had more to it. I got to the end and asked myself “is this it?”.
This slow-burn mystery took me a little bit to get into but by the end I was completely hooked. I loved following Jake "Finch" Bonner through his career as a writer. Once we started learning the story of the Parker family I was eager to find out more. I loved getting little samples of the book Jake wrote inside this book and I was completely surprised to find out what actually happened with the Parker family. I would definitely recommend this book.
How much do you like to know about a book before you pick it up? Are you someone who reads the back of the book carefully or do you dive in with a vague “friend recommended it” to pick it up and let the story unfold?
When reviewing a book called The Plot - I find myself struggling with just how much to give away. I went in without much info and loved letting it pull me in. I knew it had something to do with a struggling author and possibly a stolen plot.
This would make perfect poolside or beach reading - so if you’re looking for what to throw in your bag this year, I definitely recommend The Plot! I listened to the audiobook which was also excellent - a story that can make even the most annoying chores pass quickly.
Thank you to Celadon, Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance reading and listening copies.
3.5 stars rounded up
THE PLOT follows Jake, a once "new and notable" writer whose career flatlined after his second book didn't live up to the promise of his first. While Jake is teaching at a low residency MFA program, an obnoxious student tells him his idea for a book with a genius plot. A few years later, when Jake hears the student has died, he writes the book himself, only to find that his ex-student was hiding dangerous secrets.
The first 30% of THE PLOT was very hard to get through - a lot of woe-is-me from the main character, which I struggle with, especially when the MC is a white man. I think we're supposed to feel annoyed with him, but still. It was a lot. But once we got into this book, I really liked it! I knew what was going to happen after about 60% of the way in, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of watching it play out.
I recommend this for people who liked The Silent Patient, and maybe recommend against it for anyone who wants to be an author, because I think it would be super discouraging!
The premise of this thriller was too good to pass up, which is funny because it’s about a book with an unbeatable premise. The Plot follows Jacob Finch Bonner, an author who’s failed to live up to the promise of his first book and is not teaching creative writing at a middling MFA program. One session, a terribly pompous student tells him about his perfect plot—a surefire best seller. When Jake discovers years later that his former student has passed away without writing his book, Jake decides to write his own version of that incredible plot. He’s riding high on the success from that book when he gets a message suggesting someone knows where the plot came from. I thought this book was fine. I certainly couldn’t put it down, but it was eye-rolly at times and very predictable. Still, I always love a metafictional story and it was fun to read a thriller about a thriller.
Jacob Finch Bonner had fallen on hard times. His first book was a moderate success, but book two was a flop and books three and four can’t even get published. He’s been reduced to teaching at a third rate MFA writing program. There, he encounters Evan Parker, the most obnoxious person anyone could have as a student. Evan is convinced he’s got the next best seller, on a par with Gone, Girl. When he dies later, never having published his supposed masterpiece, Jake steals the idea. And sure enough, the book is a colossal success. Then, the emails from Talented Tom start coming, accusing him of being a thief and a fraud.
The theme of the book is who owns a story. This idea has been tackled before, even Mark Twain said there’s no such thing as an original idea. I liked that the book paints a very ambiguous story. This wasn’t a case of out and out plagiarism. Jake ties himself in knots explaining his own actions to himself.
The book starts off slow and takes a while to really get going. The chapters interlace Jake’s life with chapters from his best seller. It would never be called fast paced. But there’s a nice underlying tension throughout and I was really curious to see how both stories would play out. I had a pretty good idea early on who Talented Tom but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment to be proven right.
My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance copy of this book.
The premise had me hooked from the beginning – An author, Jacob Finch Bonner, who has been struggling to repeat his early success steals a “perfect, can’t-fail” plot from one of his former low-residency MFA students when he learns the student has died without getting his story published. Two years later, after Bonner has written, published, and toured with the book and is confident he has gotten away with it, he gets an anonymous email accusing him of theft. Korelitz has woven a story within a story as we get to read snippets from Bonner’s best-selling book alongside her story’s narrative. This structure kept me turning the pages to find out how the accuser was related to the book as the tension continued to slowly rise.
In addition to the premise, the structure, and the slowly-building tension between the accuser and the accused, there are glimpses into the writing process, the author/publisher relationship, as well as a lot of thematic food for thought. For example, who owns a story? At what point is a borrowed idea considered stolen or plagiarized? How many assumptions are made about an author’s life and/or their connection to, or inspiration for, the stories they write? Who is responsible for the way the story of one’s life gets written?
My biggest criticism was with the ending. I had guessed the villain early on so the ending didn’t seem plausible with the limited information we were given about the villain’s backstory. That said, the ending did not prevent me from enjoying the journey, and it would make for a great group discussion.
Other titles that would pair well with this one would be Caroline Zancan’s We Wish You Luck – especially if you want to read more fiction set in a MFA low-residency program. Or, if you enjoyed the plot point of a book within a book, Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a compulsively readable literary thriller. After several unfruitful attempts at launching his writing careers, MFA teacher Jacob Bonner borrows a plot from one of his deceased former students who predicted his plot idea to be a bestseller. Years later, after shooting to the top of bestseller lists, Bonner receives a threat from an anonymous person alone, claiming they know he stole the story. I tore through The Plot in an afternoon, greatly enjoying the setting of the writing world and academia prominent in the first section of the book. I’m not a thriller reader, so I found that I liked the book right up until the concluding twist. The Plot is a gripping new release perfect for readers of Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and A. S. Byatt.