You guys, this book.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz came out last spring, and I saw the buzz build for it almost immediately. A friend lent it to me right before my vacation, and I started it on the plane ride home. From that minute on, I could not put it down. Maybe the most addictive book I’ve read all year!
The Plot opens with Jake Bonner, an author with one well-reviewed but obscure novel under his belt, who works as an author-professor at a middling writers program in Vermont each year. While there one year, a student named Evan comes to him with a sample of a novel, claiming that the book has such an unbelievable plot that it is destined to be a bestseller, beloved by millions, made into a movie, etc. And then the student tells Jake the plot. Years later, his career having slid even further into obscurity, Jake learns that his student has died, presumably without ever writing the book. He’s an author without a good plot… while his student had an amazing plot but never published the book… and don’t good stories need to be told, regardless of who tells them?
So Jake writes the book, and it’s a huge hit. He achieves all of his dreams – the book tours, the Oprah couch, the movie adaptation – but he can’t escape the nagging fear that he’ll be found out. And then the emails start coming… anonymous messages from someone saying they know that Jake stole the story and threatening to tell the world.
I don’t want to spoil any more of the story behind The Plot, but it really takes off from there. Who was Evan and how did he come across this story? How did the person threatening Jake know about Evan? And will Jake emerge unscathed?
I really loved The Plot. Hanff Korelitz’s writing is smart and funny, and the book is full of snark about the publishing industry. It starts out a little slow, but once it gets going, it’s like a steam engine. I ignored a lot of other things in my life so that I could finish this book! The only thing that kept it from five stars was the ending… I figured out a twist pretty early on that weakened the impact a little bit. But The Plot was still a fantastic ride. Highly recommended.
I did this one on audio and print because I couldn’t tear myself away from it. The audio is pretty good. It’s narrated by Kirby Heyborne, whose voice I recognized from a few other audiobooks (Goodbye For Now, My Sunshine Away). He did a great job with this, making Jake sympathetic and expertly conveying his paranoia. If you’re thinking of trying the audio version, go for it.
The Plot was the 43rd book of 2021 and satisfies the Book Recommended By My Best Friend category of the 2021 EDIWTB Reading Challenge because it was recommended to me by my best friend Tuvana.
I just don’t understand it. Why all the great reviews about this book? It is one of the worst books I ever read, I kid you not. I said so on Goodreads, and so far I have nearly 50 likes, so I’m not the only person who feels this way.
Wow – what didn’t you like about it???
Here’s my review:
If you are a writer or work in the publishing industry, THE PLOT is for you. As a matter of fact, the good reviews of this book that I’ve seen have been written by people in the publishing industry.
As far as I can tell, though, this book is not for anyone else. It bored me. I am sure it will bore most people, maybe even some writers and those who work in the publishing industry.
Jake has written a highly successful novel that he based on a plot written by one of his students. The student is now dead, and Jake has rewritten the story. Jake did not really steal it from anyone, but he feels that he did. So does someone else who is badgering him online about it. Who is this? That’s what Jake sets out to learn.
I read several good reviews of this book before I decided to read it. I feel cheated. Although most reviews warn that the book has a slow beginning, they also assure the reader that it gets suspenseful, thrilling. Believe me when I tell you that, yes, THE PLOT does have a slow beginning; BUT it continues to drag right up to page 300.
If you can delay your gratification that long, go for it. I don’t know any people who can do that. No one should have to.
Even after page 300, you’re bound to be disappointed. The whole mystery is solved in the end, and I could see it coming long before I got that far.
Interesting. I don’t work in publishing but I was riveted the whole time once the plot got going.
Also loved this- the plot (literally), the writing, the characters- ! Just what I needed for a reading reset
Gayle, so glad you loved it♥️