The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Publication Date: May 11th 2021 by Macmillan Audio
Pages: 364
Audio Book Length: 10 hrs 43 min
Narrators: Kirby Heyborne
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | GoodreadsMy
Thoughts:
Jacob Finch Bonner is struggling to write his second novel after
his first book was a modest success, however, things aren’t going as well as he
thought. His success and experience make him the perfect candidate to teach at
Ripley’s a writer’s workshop/retreat. This is where he encounters Evan Parker,
a loud, arrogant guy who claims he has the perfect plot. A plot no writer could
mess up, a guaranteed success, and Even claims he doesn’t need any sort of
teaching to help him along. When Jacob hears the plot he’s stunned, because Jacob
thinks Evan is right. This plot will catapult this asshole into fame, giving Evan
everything Jacob has ever dreamed of as a writer: Critical acclaim, book tours,
a spot on Oprah’s Book Club Couch.
Years later when Jacob’s prospects keep dwindling as his new
books are rejected over and over he’s reduced to taking odd editing jobs and the
random writer’s workshop. His situation is depressing but things are about to
change when Jacob discovers that not long after Ripley’s Evan died without ever
writing “The Book”. Here is a once in a lifetime plot that begs to be told and who
better than Jacob? Jacob writes the story and it’s exactly as predicted: fame,
accolades, movie deal, and here’s when the other shoe drops. Jacob gets an
email calling him a thief.
Jacob was a bit self-absorbed and pretentious, but I couldn’t
help but root for this guy! His life was going downhill, and I have a soft spot
for the underdog! I didn’t even feel bad when he sort of lifted the idea
(although, apparently you can’t copyright a plot) off of Evan, because who wants
a jerk to win and come out ahead? Evan is dead and didn’t leave anyone who cared
about him behind, so who’s sending the threatening emails? Jacob must go back
and investigate Evan and his background to find out.
The Plot was captivating even when things are pretty calm at
the beginning! I had my suspicions, but even
so when things started to come together I had that “aha!” moment where I was
shocked! Love being taken by surprise!
I’m familiar with Kirby Heyborne as a narrator and have enjoyed
his performances in the past. I loved him as the quiet, flawed Jacob Finch
Bonner! I listened at my normal 1.5x normal speed.
4 Stars
Book description:
Jean Hanff Korelitz’s
'THE PLOT' is a psychologically suspenseful novel about a story too
good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.
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?
