The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

☆☆☆☆1/2
.ePUB, 292 pages
Expected Publication: May 11th 2021 by Celadon Books

About the Book:
Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot. Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told. In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says. As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

My Review:

Good writers borrow, great writers steal - T. S. Eliot

This was the first book of Jean Hanff Korelitz’s that I have read and boy was I impressed. Like many other reviewers have stated it was very compelling to read a book about a book and the fact that it was a book within a book was even better. Although the first few chapters were a little slow I found myself quickly absorbed in the plot of The Plot.

Told from the first person perspective of the main character Jacob Finch Bonner Jean Hanff Korelitz has weaved a suspenseful and haunting story that had me questioning everything. The Plot is a literary masterpiece full of complex details and an inspired storyline and I just adored that ending. 

I did, however, figure out the "who" less than half way through the novel but it didn't take away any of my enjoyment while reading. Jean Hanff Korelitz is an amazing writer and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Jean Hanff Korelitz and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#ThePlotBook #NetGalley