There’s something very ballsy about writing a book featuring another book within the book which has supposedly the greatest plot in the world, one which will make its author untold riches and put them right at the top of the best sellers list. I was instantly intrigued by the description and it did not disappoint. This is an incredibly written, intriguing and captivating book - and yes, the plot is seriously great.

Unfortunately it's not as I thought it would be! The plot of the plot really grabbed me and I though woah! I thought this is awesome I've never heard or seen anything like that before, apart from once with Morvern Callar although that has a very different theme it essentially does feature plagiarism. The irony is quite amusing that it's about struggling writers in honesty, I was very bored by the writing and the constant feel of droning on, especially when it came to the descriptive. It just goes on and on and on about the trials and tribulations faced by writers and frankly it brought the thriller aspect down with *CRASH* and seemed more like
I was reading a How To manual at times! Unfortunately there wasn't very much shock value when the "reveal" was uncovered because it was blatant from a very early stage in the reading. I hasten to add as well that I had no care for the protagonist as he spent a vast majority of the novel being whiney and self indulgent. I'm sorry but on the face of it the book wasn't great, which is a great disappointment because I was really looking forward to this one. But hey, I've not got a published book so who am I to lay judge and jury.

The Plot is an interesting thriller, unlike anything I’ve read before. What stood out to me was that it was never EXACTLY what I thought it would be. Was Jake going to be driven mad with his guilt? Is there even a mystery to solve here? It was very clever in that respect. I liked that it always offered more than I’d expected it to. And while the overall twist didn’t come as a huge surprise to me, I’m sure it will for many readers.

I was also really impressed with the author’s writing style. This was my first Jean Hanff Korelitz book but it certainly won’t be my last. It was intricately worded and I think that helped bring Jake to life. It definitely communicated his snobbishness. One of my favourite literary devices is the story within a story so naturally, I found a lot to love here. There’s a good amount of balance between “real life” and Jake’s bestselling novel.

Characters are morally grey from start to finish. I don’t think there’s a single character that can be filed under either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Everyone has trauma or skeletons in their closet and a line that they would cross for their own individualistic reasons. I think it dealt with the what-ifs very well. Personally, I didn’t find any of the characters likeable but it’s not the kind of book where you NEED to like characters to enjoy the story as a whole.

Although the ending was satisfying, I think that I would have preferred justice to be served right at the last second. After all, there were plenty of secondary characters who are aware that the main character has been digging up dirt so you’d think that the way things panned out would raise some suspicion... But hey, that’s just me!

With every book there has to be an outlier review and in this case it my unfortunate duty to be that person. Jacob Finch Bonner is a mediocre writer who had some moderate success with his first book. His second sank into obscurity with barely a ripple and he now finds himself teaching creative writing to a new generation of hopefuls. One of his students, Evan Parker, an obnoxious young man is unwilling to share much of his writing but claims to have an idea for a sure fire plot that cannot fail. Begrudgingly Jake agrees with him when he finally wheedles the plot out of Evan.

Jake think nothing more of this but, a couple of years later, is surprised not to find Evan’s book on the bestseller lists. He does some basic sleuthing and learns that Evan died shortly after attending his (Jake’s) course. He also learns that there are, apparently, no living relatives. So Jake does the unthinkable and takes Evan’s plot and crafts it into a book that, yes, makes it onto the bestseller lists. Ok it’s not his plot but all the words are his. He did write the story. He is still riding the wave of success when he gets the first message from someone calling themselves TalentedTom claiming he is a thief!

Jake brushes it off. How can you steal an idea? Aren’t most plots derivative of something? Didn’t he write all of the words in the actual book? But as the messages continue and get more threatening he decides to try and track down this TalentedTom and set them to rights. He travels around following the leads and clues. What he finds though is rather disturbing. It’s not just a plot he has taken - it seems to be someone’s actual life story. And that someone is not very happy about it!

I do agree the story was very well written although in a very flippant style. That’s fine, I do flippancy myself. It was, however, I thought, quite slow and not particularly riveting. Yes it got a lot more interesting towards the end but by then I had already guessed the twist so again any suspense was lost on me. The way the story was told - a book within a book was well done and Jake’s character was really well portrayed. He wasn’t exactly likeable but neither was he unlikeable, I suppose he was like most of us, a mixture of characteristics and just trying to make a living. I could totally imagine him sitting at his keyboard typing away at this amazing story. But that’s my other problem - I don’t actually agree that ‘the plot’ was that exceptional!

The idea for the book was very good and I know a lot of people enjoyed it more than I did. I didn’t NOT enjoy it - I just didn’t love it but I think the author has a lot of talent and I would totally read another book by her. Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd. for providing a free copy which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

3.5 stars rounded down.

Wow - this book was a slow starter, but what a finish! It took a while for me to connect with Jake - I found his attitude towards other forms of writing & writers (the ones that made it & the wannabe's) to be off-putting. However, the way that the story was told made me want to know what was going to happen, and it just got better & better. I really enjoyed the telling of Jake's book through this one - it just made the reveal even better!

This is a wonderfully intriguing psychological thriller from Jean Hanff Korelitz that immerses the reader into the world of writers and publishing, and aspects that are integral to it, including reviewers, book tours, interviews and fans. Jacob 'Jake' Finch Bonner was once a critically acclaimed author, if not a commercial success, but his second book sank without trace and his other books could not even secure a publisher. He clings onto his past success which has him tutoring would be writers at third rate Ripley College in Northern Vermont but he has little interest in other writers, having to force himself to read his students written endeavours.

It is here that he is to fatefully encounter the obnoxiously arrogant and sneering Evan Parker, convinced no-one can teach him anything, reticent about sharing any of his writing, boasting that he is writing a book with a mind blowing plot that will make him the toast of the publishing world, bringing him untold riches, gaining recommendations from the likes of Oprah, and be made into a movie with a A list director and become an all round certain global success story. Jake is initially sceptical, although he accepts how well written the few pages he reads that Parker offers are, but upon hearing the plot, he enviously agrees that his student is right in forseeing an instant bestseller that will take the world by storm. Jake's fortunes continue on a downward spiral in the following years and it is only on meeting a Californian writer that reminds him of Parker that he wonders what happened to Parker, only to discover he had died soon after he had met him without completing his book.

Jake takes the plot, feeling a little guilt, and writes the runaway bestseller, receiving critical and public acclaim, and all that Parker had foretold. All that he had ever dreamed of is his, the world is at his feet, until he receives a message from #TalentedTom referring to him as a thief. Terrified of his entire world crumbling into ignominy and public failure, Jake delves into the life of the late Parker to discover out who is threatening him. This is a twisty and entertaining read, of murder, deception, lies and family, discussing the moral quandry of helping oneself to the plots of other writers, given that the best authors unashamedly borrow and steal from others. My only gripe with the novel is that perhaps the person threatening Jake is a tad too obvious, otherwise I highly recommend this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Secrets We Keep…
A talented young writer dies before completing his novel, the teacher decides to use the plot and the resulting book is a resounding success. The teacher is Jake, himself an unsuccessful novelist- until now. Things are not quite what they seem however and it becomes apparent that someone, somewhere, knows the secret that Jake is hiding. A slow burn with a somewhat predictable premise but nicely and brightly written and with an edge of tension and laced with dark humour throughout. An enjoyable and entertaining read.

When a young writer dies before completing his first novel, his teacher, Jake, (himself a failed novelist) helps himself to its plot.

The resulting book is a phenomenal success. But what if somebody out there knows?

Somebody does.

And if Jake can’t figure out who he’s dealing with, he risks something far worse than the loss of his career.

From the author of the undoing, this was a book I wanted to read. And wow I wasn’t disappointed!

Great thriller

Intricately plotted, a hugely enjoyable read. The suspense builds for the reader, as it does for the main character, until the denouement at the end. Highly recommended.

The idea of an author writing a novel about an author accused/ responsible for plagiarism is not a new one - Stephen King, who claims this is the best of its type has, of course written a few himself. Here, it's about a plot rather than the actual work as in some stories (that's not, I think, a spoiler, given the book's title).
The challenge is how much of the stolen story to show - when the 'stolen' work is supposedly so incredible it makes a good person do such a drastic thing. Here the author chooses to intersperse chapters of 'the book' with the story she is telling; constantly telling us that the thing that sold the stolen story is the unbelievable, incredible, never-before-seen twist that has EVERYONE talking about it. When we get to find out the twist which is so integral to the consequences, a reader familiar with the crime genre may find themselves saying "Really? That's the twist that is so utterly unheard of Oprah is raving about it and Spielberg wants to make a film of it?"
It's well enough written (although could have done with about 75% less exclamation marks around the place), and has some interestingly meta things to say about writing, writers and the publishing industry. Jean Hanif Korelitz has a good track record and has obviously received a lot of attention from the tv series The Undoing. Where the ending of that series divided a lot of viewers (I haven't read the source novel so can't compare), the ending here is probably the best thing in the book. It may not be the amazing twist ending much of the blurb promises, but it's effective.
Overall - I read the book quickly enough and enjoyed it as I went along, wanting to know how it all turned out. The central character is not the most sympathetic; possibly deliberately written that way, and there are a couple of implausible actions/ decisions to move the plot along. It may take a while to 'get going' for some readers (we're about 35% in before anything of 'mystery' significance really happens.) but there are some nice flourishes and touches along the way to keep anyone interested in authors and writing going. If half marks were available, I'd probably nudge towards a four. Thank you to the publishers for an ARC of this title provided on the understanding of an honest review.

I think it was Twain who said ‘write what you know’, and quite a few writers appear to take that advice literally and write about, well, writing. And I don’t mind that, I like the idea that I’m somehow getting a glimpse inside a writer’s head, that I’ve been granted an opportunity to unpick the craft in some minor way. In this story, the author introduces us to Jacob Finch Bonner, a man who’s wanted nothing else than to be a successful writer for as long as he can remember. He’s had some success too, with his first book receiving quite a bit of critical acclaim even though sales were only modest. But his follow-up books failed miserably and as a result he’s now he’s taken up a job teaching an MFA course at third-rate school, just to make ends meet for a while. But then he gets lucky.

The luck involves his coming across a brilliant, can’t fail plot for a book, courtesy of one of his students. But it’s not his plot, is it possible that he can steal this idea and run with it himself? There’s a lot more to this conundrum, of course, but I’m not looking to share any of that here. Suffice to say that Bonner wrestles with this dilemma and the choice he makes shapes how his future is to play out. It’s a well-crafted and suspenseful thriller that definitely had me hooked from early on. I liked the way that Bonner was brought to life, even though I’m not sure that I actually liked the man very much: most of the time he comes across as a self-obsessed loner who really has little time for anyone else.

My main issue with the book is that I worked out the key twists to come about two thirds of the way in, something I rarely do. I didn’t know exactly how it was going to play out but I had the bones of in my head from that point. This somewhat took the edge off the remainder for me as I started to spot what I saw to be confirmations of my predicted route. However, despite this there was still enough mystery left in the detail to hold my interest and, in truth, there was at least one significant element I that hadn’t foreseen that definitely startled me.

When I try to analyse whether this could play out in real life I conclude that there are just too many elements that I believe would have derailed the whole thing along the way - but as a piece of entertainment it did have a lot to offer. I enjoyed it and I think a lot of other readers will too.

This book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, it was a bit slow to start but when it got going it was really good. I did figure out the main twist about half way through but there were quite a few after that.

The Plot had an absolutely brilliant, well, plot! A kind of cautionary tale for writers everywhere as one author, reaching for the spotlight once more, uses a dead man's idea to create the perfect bestseller...

That of course is not the end of it and the Jean HK offers us an utterly compelling and hugely addictive story that twists and turns beautifully, has a thought provoking narrative on plagiarism and just what exactly defines it in a wildly entertaining fashion.

Beautifully written and intelligently crafted The Plot is an absolute must read.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. The twist really obvious (on purpose?) but I enjoyed it. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

#ThePlot #NetGalley
Wao. It's excellent.
When a young writer dies before completing his first novel, his teacher, Jake, (himself a failed novelist) helps himself to its plot.
The resulting book is a phenomenal success. But what if somebody out there knows?
Somebody does.
And if Jake can’t figure out who he’s dealing with, he risks something far worse than the loss of his career.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for giving me an advanced copy.

This book was a revelation!

I found it a bit slow to start, but it soon ramped up and showcased some fabulous twists that I didn't see coming!

I can't think of another book that I have read which looks at writing and novel plots etc and found that inward looking perspective really interesting.

The story follows Jacob 'Finch' Bonner, a writer, who after some initial success early in his career, finds his career has stalled and is making ends meet on the periphery of the publishing world. One of the jobs he takes on is teaching creative writing for a short term residential for aspiring writers. Here Jacob meets a difficult nd obnoxious character who claims to have the plot of the century that will make him the author everyone wants to read.

At first Jacob is sceptical, but in a 121 meeting, Evan Parker (student) tells Jacob about the plot and Jacob has to agree, it is sensational and not a plot that has been built into a novel before.

Time moves on, Jacob is now in another role on the outskirts of the publishing world and finds out that Evan Parker died tragically not long after the writer residential. After some soul searching and rationalisation, and some crucial research, Jacob learns that Evan never did use his one of a kind plot and write his book. Jacob makes the life changing decision to use the plot and write the story in his own words; in theory, making the story his.

Jacob's book 'Crib' is a world wide number one best seller, launching him to literary fame and success. Despite this, Jacob is very aware that he could be found out for taking this plot, which although he didn't plagiarise the story, writing it himself, as the story itself was never written, if this was uncovered and made public, it could ruin him.

A few years after his success with Crib, Jacob starts to receive sinister messages from an anonymous source who seems to know he stole the plot. This was happening in parallel to Jacob meeting his future wife Anna and realising his dream of success professionally and personally.

What ensures is a fantastically written journey where Jacob tries to understand who this anonymous person is and how they can be stopped. Alongside this, we also learn more about Jacob's book Crib and yes, the plot is incredible!

I was enthralled after a fairly slow start, and loved the twist at the end, genius!

The book also touched on some really interesting areas; - are Women because they are Women, dismissed in terms of their capacity for evil without remorse? Is this right? is a story that isn't captured on paper, open to retelling and shaping? Or is this some kind of theft? AND, Do we see the truth about the people around us or only what we want to see?

Five stars from me for this one!

This was a fun one! One of those books you race through, and think about when you're not reading it. I think Korelitz sets herself up at a bit of a disadvantage by describing the book-within-a-book in quite such gushing praise, describing it as having the most incredible twist in the entire world, and utterly unlike any other book that's ever been written – this could have been tongue-in-cheek self-consciousness, except that every character agrees that it's incredible, and it's a massive hit, instant bestseller, Spielberg making the movie etc. There are extracts of this incredible novel, and sure, it's fun, but it's just a good-quality thriller.

It was quite easy to guess both the twist in the book (as in, who the culprit was) and also the twist in the book-within-a-book – it was so obvious that it grew frustrating to watch the protagonist bumble around not knowing what was happening.

But I don't mind if I guess the end of a book as long as the journey to get there is still enjoyable, and in this case it definitely was. Other reviewers have said that the beginning is slow, and it is compared to the rest, but I still enjoyed it – mostly because Korelitz is so scathingly accurate about the life of a midlist writer, and that stuff is catnip for me. If you've been looking for a fun, smart, absorbing thriller, this is certainly worth a read.

This was very well written and easy to read, but for a book called The Plot, the plot was a bit predictable (maybe that was the point?!). It also had a really, really slow burn start, although the ending was pacy and fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy, all reviews my own.

Sometimes you just take a chance on a new author and I am so happy that I did and this book was original, beautifully written and slowly drew me into it after taking a little while to get going.

The plot of "The Plot" has already been revealed elsewhere on these pages and bears no repeating but I was entranced by the concept and taken aback by what happens next. A real slow burner that when it comes to the boil left me breathless.

First time I've read anything from this author and I really enjoyed it. What an interesting twisty story! Definitely want to read more of this authors books.