Jean Hanff Korelitz is unique in her telling of this amazing, intriguing story because she captures the protagonist's emotional state throughout his creative process, as she highlights for readers the internal frustrations of learning to write fiction which is publishable. In creating her chief character Jacob Bonner, Korelitz reveals not only the critical nature of the publishing world, but also she criticizes the purpose of the curriculum behind certain academic writing programs. Speedy, gratifying programs that will help writers create works of fiction or poetry which will get scooped up by top publishing houses for immediate publication!
This narrative is unique because along the way, Korelitz is creating a narrative which causes readers to raise questions about what the true meaning of Jacob's intentions and behaviors truly are. In so doing, she creates an entertaining story that suggests she's trying to elicit reverse psychology from readers. Readers will respond to this story because Jacob is daring and his journey, an allegory for sure, is something readers will feel like they'd never dare to do, but its intriguing for them to keep reading. Korelitz uses suspense along the way, and she pulls us into this story, and you are caught in her grips until the shocking resolution!
Overall, Korelitz is unique in creating narratives. That said, without creating a spoiler, she carefully weaves into the first story or base story, the actual "plot" or story from one of Jacob Bonner's students ( A student any teacher would say clearly feels they can devise a great idea, but then they don't want to put the efforts into writing and developing it). Then this fictional student -created story becomes a key ingredient in the whole mix of the baseline story, Jacob's story, because he retells it over the course of this engaging book.
Korelitz has mastered her craft in spinning out 2 EXCEPTIONAL novels, this and her novel, The Undoing, another psychological story. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to read it as well. Both great thrillers published by Macmillan.
Thank you for the ARC copy.

I love books that have a story within a story, and it makes sense that a book called The Plot would be in this style. I was immediately drawn into the story from the first page (minute, I suppose, since I listened to the audiobook) and I listened during every free moment I could find until I finished. Readers always wonder where authors find their ideas, so what happens when an established author hears about a book plot from a budding author who never writes their book, so that established author then takes the idea and writes a bestseller? Is it stealing when the original author was never able to write their book because they passed away? This was an interesting mystery and sure to lead to interesting discussions!

As I said, I listened to the audiobook, and I almost stopped listening to the book because I did not like the narrator at all. His cadence almost sounded robotic. The only reason why I continued to listen was because I was quickly invested in the story. If I’d had a physical copy, I would have switched to that early on. So while I definitely recommend reading The Plot, opt for the physical book and not the audio.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 STARS!

THE PLOT is a beautifully written mystery/thriller that had me guessing almost all the way. Jean Hanff Korelitz is going on my "must read" authors list!

Jacob Finch Bonner is struggling as a writer. His first book was a modest success, but in some ways, that makes writing the second more difficult. He's now written a second and a third, but neither one was accepted for publication, so now Jake is teaching at a small college in Vermont. One of his students, Evan Parker, stands out because of his arrogance and attitude. One day in what amounts to a student-teacher conference, Parker tells Jake the plot of the book he wants to write, and Jake finally understands where Parker's arrogance comes from. The plot is AMAZING and will most certainly be a best-seller. Jake moves on, waiting to hear news regarding the publication of Parker's novel, but he never does. A few years later, having heard nothing, Jake searches for Evan Parker and found that he died, never having published a word. What do you think Jake did then? What any writer would do, of course! What happened after that? You'll have to read this to find out!

I listened to THE PLOT on audio and at first, I didn't think I'd be able to finish it. Seriously, this book has a very slow start. I didn't care for the narrator at that point either. A few Goodreads friends warned me of the slow start and advised me to try and hang in there because the payoff was *chef's kiss*. I'm glad they warned me and I'm happy to report that they were right. The narrator ended up growing on me quite a bit as more characters and voices were introduced.

What I did like, right from the beginning was the author's writing style. The first part of this book is a lot of "telling" and even though I didn't much care for that, I can still respect how well it was written. Once the story gets moving though, the writing really shines and here's the kicker: not only is she telling Jake's story, she's telling the story that Jake wrote, based on Parker's idea. So, there are actually two stories here, with chapters of Jake's book CRIB, intermittently sprinkled throughout. Somehow, Ms. Korelitz manages to do this so that the storylines between the two are correlated and it makes for very fast paced and intriguing chapters.

The plot for...well, THE PLOT, is an intricate wonder and I found myself guessing almost to the very, very end. I'd say I guessed correctly around the 70% mark, but I did doubt myself. Around the 90% mark is when I knew I had guessed correctly. I did not see all the twists related to my theory, so even though I did guess the perpetrator, the denouement still held a few surprises.

I was not familiar with this author prior to this book, (I thought.) Then I discovered that the HBO series I watched called THE UNDOING was written by her, and that show was a trip! THE PLOT would have been a perfect 5 star read for me, but I deducted half a star for the slow beginning and because I did guess who the bad guy was beforehand. Still, I rounded it up to 5 stars here at Goodreads and I'm pretty sure this book will make my top ten of the year!

Highly recommended! 4.5/5 stars!

*Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio download of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, is a slow-burn, intriguing, reflective mystery that asks the question, does the plot of a book belong to the creator of the story, or to the person who writes it and brings it to life?

This story definitely contains interesting commentary on the life of an author and the publishing industry.
The main character, Jacob “Finch” Bonner, is a phlegmatic figure who has dedicated his life to writing, and though he has written a fairly well-received novel in the past, he finds himself plagued by a lack of inspiration. While biding his time, he teaches a writing workshop and comes across an arrogant, narcissistic student who brags that he’s got a sure thing, a story that is destined to be a bestseller, now he just has to write it. Jacob realizes that the story is truly explosive; a tale worth telling.

Years later, when the story still hasn’t been written and the author is not longer available to write it, Jacob questions if a plot truly belongs to the teller, or the person who pens it. As he wrestles with this question, and delves into the story itself, it takes on a life of its own, one with tragic consequences.

This story is clearly introspective and more literary fiction than thriller or suspense novel, in my opinion. In fact, it’s not until much later in the story that the mystery truly picks up momentum and changes not only tempo, but also the tenor of the story. There is an overall melancholy tone to the writing that speaks to the main character’s mindset. I thought the narrator did an excellent job of capturing the conflicted, quiet character of Jacob Bonner and truly helped set the tone of the story with his portrayal. Unfortunately, the plot also contains the cliched trope of the ignorant, heartless Christian as one of its antagonists.

Though the unraveling of the mystery is satisfying in and of itself, I thought the big shock of the plot in question was not as fascinating as it was made out to be. And through I did figure out the perpetrator prior to the reveal, it was still a creative, impressive and well-plotted resolution.

The Plot is a compelling, contemplative story with a slow-building mystery. It’s a well-written, thought-provoking and an enjoyable story.

I adore clever mysteries, and this sounded like the perfect literary suspense novel.

I found the first half quite interesting. It started off slowly, setting the scene of Jake's life as a writer and providing commentary on the world of writing and publishing. The second half was a rollercoaster of suspicion and anticipation. This would make an excellent book club pick; there's a lot to unpack in this narrative. Overall, it was an enjoyable (but somewhat predictable) story, perfect for fans of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

🎧 The narration for this book was well done. I listened at 1.5x speed with no issue, even though the plot jumps around to different narrators and storylines.

I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started this audio book I was like alright keep pushing through the mud it has got to pick up speed. I think about 1 hour into it the pace started picking up and the plot started unwinding. I found myself looking forward to the next time I had a moment to listen to it.

The characters went from bland forgettable to fully developed individuals that I felt I could envision.

Though the story started off slowly, by the end I was thinking “what did I just listen too?” I feel like this is in my top 10 for the year so far.

Highly recommend!

DNF at 53%.

I did not particularly like the narrator. His voice was more droning than I would have preferred and didn't keep my interest.

The story was too slow to get going and incredibly boring at 53%.

Thanks so much to the publisher and author for an advanced ecopy of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I had previously read this author's book, You Should Have Known ( aka The Undoing), and really liked it. My enjoyment of this one was just as great. You can hardly go wrong for me with a plot that includes a book within a book! Jake is a somewhat of a milktoast character....a writer who years ago had a highly praised first novel to which he has never had an equally lauded follow-up. As his money dried up, he was forced out of his NYC writer's community into a more suburban liberal arts college that has seen better days, too. Jake now is a mentor to wannabe writers, very few of whom he has much hope. Then one day, a student shows up with a plot so great the student just knows it will be a best-seller and be made into a movie by an A-list director. He won't tell Jake the plot, but through some of his creative writing he allows Jake to critique, Jake is intrigued. He finally convinces the student to share the plot with him. Jake is amazed to realize that, for once, he agrees that his student has a fail-proof plot that will be just as successful as the student thinks it will be, IF the man ever actually writes it. Years go by, though, and Jake realizes that the book was never written.....Jake, still struggling to find writing inspiration that will elevate him to the top of his game again decides since the student never wrote a book about the plot, someone should, and it might as well be him.

Naturally, the book IS the success Jake knew it would be and he is on top of the world....but someone realizes the plot of Jake's book was stolen, and they aren't about to let him get by with it.

I thought the pace of The Plot moved really well and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I had the luxury of listening to the audio when in my car, while reading the ecopy at home.

The narration of the audio was very good. The characters all came to life well. The whole book was satisfying to me except the ending, though the ending was entirely appropriate for the tone of the novel. This author is clearly a cynic, and writes her cynicism well. I will be telling everyone about The Plot. Can't wait until someone buys the rights to make this book into just as great a series or movie as The Undoing was for the author her last go-around.

Ooh, this is a dark, twisty story!

Jacob Finch Bonner is a novelist, struggling to make ends-meat and find the right story idea for his next novel when one of his students at the MFA program tells him his plot idea. And what a plot it is. His student boasts that he doesn’t even need to be a good writer to turn an idea like that into an amazing success. Jacob is jealous of the other man’s idea and confidence, but he soon forgets all about it until a couple of years later. He then looks up the student to see if he ever did write that novel, and finds nothing…

I don’t want to give too much away because the joy of reading this novel is being fed each puzzle piece and seeing how it all fits together. I was gripped from the beginning, and while I did work out the ending by about halfway through it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the rest of the story. It’s dark, and delightfully disturbing with characters you’ll love to loathe. Plus, I loved that Seattle is featured (including one of my favorite bookstores, Elliot Bay Books) a couple of times throughout the story.

The audiobook was well-paced and it felt like I flew through the 10 hours and 43 minutes in no time. You might also recognize Kirby Heyborne’s narration from The Wife Upstairs or Hour of the Witch.

3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
The plot is about a tale as old as time as it were. A student starts writing the next best novel, and the teacher sees the success available. Unfortunately the student dies, and the teacher decides he is going to finish the novel as his own work. This novel was ok for me. Personally the narrator of the audiobook made for a boring read. Maybe a physical copy would have had a higher rating, but maybe not. The execution of the plot was great, in dealing with the morality of our choices and such. I just wish it had been a little more fast paced in order to hold my attention more.
" Thank you to Netgalley, for sending me an free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review."

WOW! I feel like I was getting to the point of burnout on new thrillers. I’ve read maybe one in the past few months that really “wow-ed” me. The Plot is a gamechanger in the thriller/suspense genre for 2021. I’m still reeling from the adrenaline rush after finishing.

The story within a story is such a unique concept, and Jean Hanff Korelitz nails BOTH of the stories. The suspense was truly palpable throughout the book. It was nearly impossible to stop reading. Honestly, I thought I was setting myself up for a disappointing reveal for the actual “plot” because it was so hyped up. However, once we got to that point, my jaw was on the floor. It was absolutely worth the hype. I did find myself getting a little frustrated at Jake at times, but the direction this book took each time was just spot on. The pacing, the atmosphere, the sky-high stakes--it was all executed so well.

I’m loving Kirby Heyborne as a narrator. He was one of the narrators for The Wife Upstairs, which was another great audio production. I can think of a few others I’d love to have him narrate, and I’m looking forward to seeking out other books he’s voiced. His pacing is absolutely perfect for suspense books.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the ALC for The Plot.

I started listening to this audiobook, but the narrator's voice and style were not to my liking. The novel's content is great, and I finished reading the text version ebook, which is excellent. This is probably just a personal thing, but this particular narrator speaks a bit too slowly and deliberately, and seems more "actorish" than most. If you like that kind of narration, this audiobook will be a treat for you. It was not unlistenable for me, but I found that I preferred to read it in text format instead of audio.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. Someone steals a idea for a plot for a book. But will they get away with it? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book had all the making of a great thriller, however it was pretty lackluster is my opinion.

Jacob Finch Bonner was an up-and-coming author who just never panned. While teaching he comes across a student with the makings of a great book. When the student dies, he takes the story and publishes it as his own. All of the sudden Jake is thrown into the world of success, but someone out there knows the truth.

A lot of this book felt literary more than a thriller, and at times I was just not jiving with the story. The thing that redeems this book is the twist. It was so shocking you would never see it coming at all. I am sure this will be a hit this summer.

One note , I had an advanced copy of the audiobook and the e-book, and by far the ebook wins. Narration did absolutely for this story, and this might have been the reason, I was not digging it until I made the switch to the ebook.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Plot is a slow burning and highly entertaining novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I loved it and I loved the narrator, Kirby Heyborne, whose voice I recognized immediately as the narrator who hypnotized me in Kubica’s Don’t You Cry.

Jake Bonner is an author whose first novel was reviewed favorably in the NYTimes Book Review, where he was labeled, an author to keep your eye on. Several years (book rejections) later, he is on the Ripley College writer’s workshop circuit, a misanthrope charged with mentoring a ragtag group of wannabe authors. He drives an old car, still uses the same natty (rhymes with?) furniture from his college days and, in general, fits the description of an altogether, self-deprecating sourpuss.

Enter younger narcissistic nemesis (NN), Evan Parker/Parker Evan, whose sole purpose, it seems, is to yank Jake’s chain. Puffed up NN, disparages all around him, including Jake, and boasts that he has come up with the ultimate plot that will catapult him into Stardom – Best Seller, Agents & Publisher, a spot on Oprah Winfrey, lecture and interview circuits, Movie rights and let’s not forget a copy of his book on the table in the entrance of every book store.

Tightlipped NN will not give away anything about his plot, yet at some point he can hold it in no longer and spills the beans to Jake, in the privacy of his office. Jake is gobsmacked, he knows that all the rewards NN claims he will reap from publishing his novel will come true for him…

(circa) Four years later, Jake has dropped down to the lowest levels of the food chain, when he notices that NN’s book has never been published…he learns that NN actually died several months after attending the Ripley College Writer’s Workshop. Jake weaves NN’s plot into a book. The words are entirely his, as are character and plot development. As far as he knows, Jake is the only person who ever heard the plot from NN. Jake writes the Novel that catapults him into Stardom – Best Seller, Agents & Publisher, a spot on Oprah Winfrey, lecture and interview circuits, Movie rights and let’s not forget a copy of his book on the table in the entrance of every book store (did I just plagiarize, er, repeat, myself?).

Jake finally becomes a grown-up at the age of 30-something. He meets and marries the girl of his dreams, who changes his life (not to mention the furniture, dishes, and glassware). She feeds him lots of green soup and boy does he lap it up. His life is now meaningful and happy. Sourpuss is now the picture of contentment - hahahah, tell me you don’t see it coming…."Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang, Walla walla, bing bang…." he wasn’t very smart (oops, there I go again, forgive me David Seville/Ross Bagdasarian).

Everything comes crashing down around poor Jake as the first (of many) message(s) arrives from Tricky Tom. (Our author joins me in my newfound infatuation with Patricia Highsmith.) Did Jake or did Jake not plagiarize Evan Parker/Parker Evan’s book? Not every idea you throw out into the air can be claimed as your intellectual property…and you cannot plagiarize something that has never been published (published does not necessarily mean printed). Too bad Jake didn't have confidence in the merit and integrity of his work. To legally discredit Jake, "Tom" would have had come forward and expose the source of the claim, which would likely have been impossible since the manuscript was never published - if it existed at all. Possibly, there might have been a breach of confidence, but heck, the guy whose confidence may have been breached is too dead to sue. Let me set your minds at rest, plagiarism will make for a great debate in a book club, but it is not really the issue here, there are other issues at play. I mean, like what's with all that green soup wife keeps making and Jake keeps slurping? I looked up what green symbolizes in literature...are we talking guilt, greed, jealousy? Whose?

I figured out who Tom was pretty early-on, but I confess, I should have expected (but did not) the PH-ish ending. WOW just WOW.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audio book. I LOVED IT. I loved the story/plot, I loved the writing, and I loved the narrator!

Jean Hanff Korelitz's "The Plot" follows Jacob, Jake, Finch Bonner, a has-been author who teaches writing in an MFA program. While he had a successful debut as an author, he struggled with his following publications. At the program, he meets an arrogant student by the name of Evan Parker, who is sure that the plot he conceived will make him a bestselling author. When Jake hears "the plot," he becomes envious since he knows that Evan is right: the plot is amazing and sure to sell. A couple of years pass and Jake hasn't heard anything about Evan Parker's book. He does some research and finds that Evan Parker is dead, and his book was never published. Feeling a sense of obligation to the plot itself and the world of literature, he decides to pen the novel himself. A few months later, everything that Evan Parker predicted came true: Jake is a bestselling author after publishing a story based on the plot that he heard. However, his success comes at a price since he is now receiving anonymous messages accusing him of thievery.

I picked up this book based both on its cover and description. The cover of the book truly encompasses the "book-within-a-book" nature of the novel and plays with the dual meanings of the word "plot." While it is a different color from most thrillers I have seen, it still showcases its genre. The description is also very compelling, and I'm typically a sucker for stories that involve books. However, while there were parts that I enjoyed, in general, this was a miss for me.

As many other reviews have stated, this story is very much a slow burn and takes considerable time in picking up. In this regard, I did not find it to be very thrilling or suspenseful for a story within this genre. I think I prefer thrillers to increase in pace well before the final pages. Thus, I never felt at the edge of my seat while listening and felt rather bored several times during my reading experience.

In terms of character and plot, both were a bit of a miss for me. The main character was arrogant and off-putting in a way that I did not really care what would happen to him in the end. I also did not connect to any character in particular. Granted, I believe the author probably intended for all the characters to be unlikeable. On the other hand, I also found the actual plot, or rather the development of the plot, to be predictable since I guessed the ending pretty early on so the "twist" ending was underwhelming. In addition, the book features an epilogue that I'm not convinced it required. The ending of the book as well as the epilogue, are laden with expository dialogue, and the reader is almost bombarded with information that is said rather than shown.

The style of the book read more like a literary thriller and used more flowery language than other thrillers I have read. However, I was not a fan of the main character's many asides throughout the book. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at the main character's musings, arrogance, and entitlement.

Nevertheless, I think I would recommend this book to readers who are new to thrillers as a genre. I also read that this author has a good track record of getting her books adapted into other media. If this book gets adapted to film or television, preferably television, I would most definitely watch it. I think the plot would lend itself well for this medium and the inclusion of other meaning-making elements, such as acting and music, would create a more suspenseful feel.

3.5 stars rounded up

THE PLOT follows Jake, a once "new and notable" writer whose career flatlined after his second book didn't live up to the promise of his first. While Jake is teaching at a low residency MFA program, an obnoxious student tells him his idea for a book with a genius plot. A few years later, when Jake hears the student has died, he writes the book himself, only to find that his ex-student was hiding dangerous secrets.

The first 30% of THE PLOT was very hard to get through - a lot of woe-is-me from the main character, which I struggle with, especially when the MC is a white man. I think we're supposed to feel annoyed with him, but still. It was a lot. But once we got into this book, I really liked it! I knew what was going to happen after about 60% of the way in, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of watching it play out.

I recommend this for people who liked The Silent Patient, and maybe recommend against it for anyone who wants to be an author, because I think it would be super discouraging!

Jacob Finch Bonner had fallen on hard times. His first book was a moderate success, but book two was a flop and books three and four can’t even get published. He’s been reduced to teaching at a third rate MFA writing program. There, he encounters Evan Parker, the most obnoxious person anyone could have as a student. Evan is convinced he’s got the next best seller, on a par with Gone, Girl. When he dies later, never having published his supposed masterpiece, Jake steals the idea. And sure enough, the book is a colossal success. Then, the emails from Talented Tom start coming, accusing him of being a thief and a fraud.
The theme of the book is who owns a story. This idea has been tackled before, even Mark Twain said there’s no such thing as an original idea. I liked that the book paints a very ambiguous story. This wasn’t a case of out and out plagiarism. Jake ties himself in knots explaining his own actions to himself.
The book starts off slow and takes a while to really get going. The chapters interlace Jake’s life with chapters from his best seller. It would never be called fast paced. But there’s a nice underlying tension throughout and I was really curious to see how both stories would play out. I had a pretty good idea early on who Talented Tom but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment to be proven right.
I was really impressed with Kirby Hewborne as the narrator.
My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

I was really excited to read this book and was granted an ARC in audio format. I had actually pre-ordered the book as well.

This novel moved very slowly. It felt almost "whiney" in some places. The main character was not likable to me and his journey was one that I found fairly improbable. Although there was one element to the mystery that surprised me, I figured out the main part of this early on.

This book was just "ok" for me.

#netgalley

#ThePlot

This book is a story of a writer, Jake, who was also a writing teacher. He was a NYT Best Seller for his first novel and his subsequent books have fell short. In comes a cocky student, Parker, exclaiming he has an idea of a book that will be read by all. Jake is rather dismayed and doesn’t give it much thought especially only given the first few chapters of the book, Parker thought would make World status. Parker then explains the plot to Jake, which is untold to the reader, and Jake knew without a doubt that this plot would indeed reach best seller status and everyone in the world would be talking about it. Forward a couple years, Jake found an obituary notice for Parker, and realized his book was never published.

Jake went on to write the book with the plot that was given from his student and it did indeed reach people far and wide. The only problem is that someone on the internet has began spreading rumors that Jake’s book was plagiarized and it wasn’t his story to tell. Who is doing it and what happens when Jake discovers the truth?

For me, this was a really slow burn. The twist at the end wasn’t as nearly shocking as I was hoping it would be. I did enjoy reading more about the publishing world, but all in all only 2.5 stars for me.

Thank you to Celadon books for the gifted copy.