I absolutely loved this book. The title itself is clever as it's a double entendre - "The Plot" is the key subject in the book and it also alludes to a part of the The Plot that is stolen. (You'll know what I mean once you read the book.)
The book centers around a man named Jacob Finch Bonner who gained notoriety with his first published book. It's been years since the success of his first book and he is struggling to write another solid book, let alone publish one. He's running out of money and ends up teaching in a third-rate MFA program. One of his star students is an arrogant young man named Evan Parker. Evan tells Jacob about his plot and says that he does not need Jacob's help as his plot is a "sure thing." Jacob silently agrees - he knows it will be a success.
Jacob waits for the impending publication of Evan's book but it never comes. Jacob does some digging and discovers that Evan has died and never finished the book. Jacob, held down by the downward trajectory of his own career, does the unthinkable - the steals Evan's plot and his published book is a wild success.
In the years that follow, Jake is highly praised and becomes famous. He is at the height of his success and life is good. But then one day, he receives an anonymous email telling him that he is a thief. Paranoia ensues and Jake is riddled with guilt - as more damning messages comes his way threatening to expose his secret. Jake decides to seek out the anonymous tipster. By doing so, he ends up digging into Evan's past and what he discovers both amazes him and haunts him to the bone.
The Plot is so well written. So many books are poorly written these days but the writing in this book is brilliant. The Plot is what I call a "sleeper thriller" - it's a slow burn but it gets more interesting as you read more. A lot of people I know DNF'd the book, but if you stay patient and stick with it, I guarantee the payoff is worth it at the end.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5).
A huge thanks to Celadon Books and Jean Hanff Korelitz for proving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The book centers around a man named Jacob Finch Bonner who gained notoriety with his first published book. It's been years since the success of his first book and he is struggling to write another solid book, let alone publish one. He's running out of money and ends up teaching in a third-rate MFA program. One of his star students is an arrogant young man named Evan Parker. Evan tells Jacob about his plot and says that he does not need Jacob's help as his plot is a "sure thing." Jacob silently agrees - he knows it will be a success.
Jacob waits for the impending publication of Evan's book but it never comes. Jacob does some digging and discovers that Evan has died and never finished the book. Jacob, held down by the downward trajectory of his own career, does the unthinkable - the steals Evan's plot and his published book is a wild success.
In the years that follow, Jake is highly praised and becomes famous. He is at the height of his success and life is good. But then one day, he receives an anonymous email telling him that he is a thief. Paranoia ensues and Jake is riddled with guilt - as more damning messages comes his way threatening to expose his secret. Jake decides to seek out the anonymous tipster. By doing so, he ends up digging into Evan's past and what he discovers both amazes him and haunts him to the bone.
The Plot is so well written. So many books are poorly written these days but the writing in this book is brilliant. The Plot is what I call a "sleeper thriller" - it's a slow burn but it gets more interesting as you read more. A lot of people I know DNF'd the book, but if you stay patient and stick with it, I guarantee the payoff is worth it at the end.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5).
A huge thanks to Celadon Books and Jean Hanff Korelitz for proving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.