Wow—for a book with a slightly slow start, this book ended up gripping me tightly and I read it all within a couple of sittings!
We start off meeting Jacob Finch Bonner, an author who has met with little to no success after his bestselling first book. He’s now teaching in a low-residency writing graduate program, which pays the bills but doesn’t quite fulfill him. At this program he meets a student who claims to have the best possible plot for his to-be-written book—and when the student explains it to Jacob, he has to agree.
Fast forward a few years and Jacob realizes he’s never seen any book with this plot published. He googles the author and finds out that his former student died shortly after the writing program. So, Jacob decides to adapt the plot and soon has a bestseller on his hands. The plot not being his idea? That’s his secret (or so he thinks).
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The book-within-a-book was intriguing; we are able to read pertinent parts of Jacob’s book to help us understand the Big Twist, but the bulk of the story is actually what is happening to Jacob. There are plenty of twists and turns in the second half of the book to keep you hooked, and the ending was surprisingly satisfying. This really is unlike many other books I’ve read, in a very good way! Definitely recommend.
We start off meeting Jacob Finch Bonner, an author who has met with little to no success after his bestselling first book. He’s now teaching in a low-residency writing graduate program, which pays the bills but doesn’t quite fulfill him. At this program he meets a student who claims to have the best possible plot for his to-be-written book—and when the student explains it to Jacob, he has to agree.
Fast forward a few years and Jacob realizes he’s never seen any book with this plot published. He googles the author and finds out that his former student died shortly after the writing program. So, Jacob decides to adapt the plot and soon has a bestseller on his hands. The plot not being his idea? That’s his secret (or so he thinks).
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The book-within-a-book was intriguing; we are able to read pertinent parts of Jacob’s book to help us understand the Big Twist, but the bulk of the story is actually what is happening to Jacob. There are plenty of twists and turns in the second half of the book to keep you hooked, and the ending was surprisingly satisfying. This really is unlike many other books I’ve read, in a very good way! Definitely recommend.