3.5 stars
I liked this book, but it did take me a very long time to get into it. I kept putting it down and doing other things and then reluctantly picking it back up. About halfway through it definitely gets better and picks up steam and so I read the second half much more quickly.
There really aren't any likable characters in this book, but that was honestly all right in the context of this novel. I like how we get into Jake's head and his spiraling after he's accused of plagiarism (which I also found to be bizarre because can you really plagiarize a plot? And how many details could Evan really have told him to make them so similar?) and how he goes off on an armchair detective pursuit of the person who is making the accusations. I did figure out a couple of the twists ahead of time, but overall the plot of The Plot (ha) is pretty intriguing and entertaining.
As an aside, I didn't find Jake's book and the storyline (can't keep saying plot over and over again) to be that "shocking" and "stunning". I kept waiting for the big reveal of this amazing stolen plot and when I finally read it I wasn't blown away. However, when all is said and done and the pieces are slotted together in The Plot, and then we get to the very end, the way Korelitz puts it all together makes for a book worth reading. If the beginning wouldn't have been such a slow, dragging setup I probably would have rated it higher. I encourage readers to pick this one up to experience it for themselves, because it is decently good.
I liked this book, but it did take me a very long time to get into it. I kept putting it down and doing other things and then reluctantly picking it back up. About halfway through it definitely gets better and picks up steam and so I read the second half much more quickly.
There really aren't any likable characters in this book, but that was honestly all right in the context of this novel. I like how we get into Jake's head and his spiraling after he's accused of plagiarism (which I also found to be bizarre because can you really plagiarize a plot? And how many details could Evan really have told him to make them so similar?) and how he goes off on an armchair detective pursuit of the person who is making the accusations. I did figure out a couple of the twists ahead of time, but overall the plot of The Plot (ha) is pretty intriguing and entertaining.
As an aside, I didn't find Jake's book and the storyline (can't keep saying plot over and over again) to be that "shocking" and "stunning". I kept waiting for the big reveal of this amazing stolen plot and when I finally read it I wasn't blown away. However, when all is said and done and the pieces are slotted together in The Plot, and then we get to the very end, the way Korelitz puts it all together makes for a book worth reading. If the beginning wouldn't have been such a slow, dragging setup I probably would have rated it higher. I encourage readers to pick this one up to experience it for themselves, because it is decently good.