Book Review | The Plot

Jacob Finch Bonner is a bitter and disgruntled novelist teaching at a third-rate MFA writing program. Therefore, when Evan Parker—one of his most arrogant students—, boasts that he has an idea for an instant bestseller novel, Jacob dismisses him …, until he hears the plot. The story blows him away.

Years pass without Jacob seeing the book published, so, out of curiosity, Jacob tries to look up what became of his former student to find that Evan had passed away from a drug overdose.

Not wanting the story to die along with Evan, Jacob takes it upon himself to complete and publish it for himself. Sure enough, it’s a hit. He achieves national fame and everything seems to be going so well for him, until he receives an ominous tweet from an anonymous user, and Jacob’s entire world begins to fall apart.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a clever psychological thriller that centers around a writer’s all-consuming obsession. The main character is extremely flawed and believable, and I feel like his spiraling paranoia provides an interesting modern commentary on the relationship between social media and an author’s mental health.

However, what bugged me most about this book was its writing style. (I love parentheses and em-dashes when used sparingly. I love them! I do! ) However, the constant exclamation points and interjection of unnecessary information mid-sentence felt jarring to me and really disrupted the flow of the writing. This made it difficult for me to get into the book. However, about 1/3 of the way in, the story really hits its stride and I was hooked.

All in all, this is compelling, food-for-thought type of novel that questions whether someone can truly own a story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books, for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : May 11, 2021
Publisher : Celadon Books
ISBN : 125079076X
Pages : 336

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