It is the mark of a skilful mystery novel when the author provides plenty of foreshadowing and clues, and yet the reader feels completely blindsided when the plot unravels. Korelitz pull off this trick with flourish in 'The Plot'.

Our protagonist, Jacob Finch Bonner, is a down-on-his-luck author who had produced a first novel to some limited acclaim, followed by a string of failures. To make ends meet, he teaches in a third-rate writing MFA programme, where he meets a student who seems to have stumbled upon a ground-breaking plot, a "sure thing". Years later, Jacob discovers that his student died before publishing his book, so he decides to write and publish his version, precipitating some dire consequences.

This solid concept is supported by an excellent narrative structure, where Jacob's story is interspersed with excerpts from his novel, the two threads feeding back into each other to great effect.

Along the way, we meet some palpable characters, rendered with nice little details, some humour, and a lot of reflection on the craft of writing, the meaning of cultural ownership, and the competitiveness and insecurities of writers.

A couple of things bothered me. First, the excessive and distracting use of parentheses for elaboration and whimsical remarks. This is most pronounced in the early parts of the book, but it gets better in the last two-thirds. Second, Jacob's writing style is very similar to Korelitz's, which challenges the reader's suspension of disbelief.

Nevertheless, this was a fun, tautly-scripted mystery. This was the first time I read Korelitz's work, and I will now look forward to picking up some more of her previous and future work.

Thank you Faber & Faber for sending me an ARC of this entertaining book.

So this is where I would like to have 0.5 as this is between a 3 and a 4 for me. Positives - loved the originality and loved the last half of the book where Anna got involved and the search began. That is where it got really interesting.

I found the first half a bit meh but as a writer has invested time in writing a book I always want to see it through and I am glad that I did.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I thought the premise of this book sounded amazing and I was not disappointed. A brilliant well thought and excellent story xx

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is her eighth novel and is a book within a book, given its literature setting. An arrogant confident student believes he has a guaranteed best seller in contrast to his teacher a one hit wonder of an author. Whilst struggling to survive as a failed writer, Jake decides to plagiarise his premise for his own book and hence, the deceit and tension begin. An enjoyable read of a psychological thriller, with a well created believable literary protagonist as he battles to discover who exactly knows his secret and the danger threatening him. So, a three-and-a-half-star rating given the not too subtle perpetrator, losing a half rating unfortunately. With thanks to Faber & Faber and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. A well crafted novel, full of suspense, twists and turns. Loved it I highly recommend this book

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise; meta fiction is one of my favourite genre. Also the cover is STUNNING. However, this book just didn’t work me. Part of the problem was the writing and the slowness of the plot. How ironic! The writing and the tone reminded of a nonfiction book about writing. It took forever for the story itself to start. It was just such a slog. I’m afraid this wasn’t for me.

So - what can I say? I loved 'The Plot' and, in many ways, it is the type of book which is right up my street.

Jake is a struggling writer - a somewhat failed writer, perhaps - who is teaching at Ripley College in Upstate New York. One of his students, apparently, has the most amazing idea for a novel - something that the said student is not keen to share with anyone - and, without spoiling the plot (deliberately ambiguous), this sets Jake on a very interesting, perilous path - one that is intriguing, exciting, nail-biting etc.

This novel is extremely readable - but it is not without its complexities (I mean this in a complimentary way). Throughout, readers are learning about the story of Jake, the writer within the novel - but they are also learning about 'Crib', the novel which makes it extremely successful, so it's a novel-within-a-novel here. There is also the fictional story (from a reader's point of view) alongside real-life occurrences (but 'real-life' in terms of the fictional characters). Sorry if this sounds confusing - it isn't really but just shows you need to read this to be part of it!

There is a very clever twist - but I must say I did suspect early on what, and who, this might involve. I was pretty convinced and I was right. That's not to say this is predictable - it certainly isn't - but there was something early in the novel that planted a seed and it turned out to be right.

I think this will be very successful. I can see 'The Plot' being adapted for a Netflix series, a little bit like 'Crib' within the novel. If you like multi-layered stories, this is a good read that you are sure to enjoy.

In a recent Guardian interview, Jean Hanff Korelitz said “I wanted to be a literary novelist. But I had realised that I liked plot.” Not only does she like plot, but she is damn good at it. The author of the book that the HBO smash The Undoing was based on, has created an entertaining thriller about plagiarism in the publishing industry.

The novelist-protagonist is Jacob Finch Bonner, once a New York Times New & Noteworthy author, but now teaching a third-rate creative writing course at Ripley University and unable to get another book published. He encounters a boorish student called Evan Parker, who claims to have a storyline that cannot fail, and when he hears it Jake can’t help but agree. A few years later, when Jake learns that Parker has died without having published his novel, Jake uses the plot of Parker’s story to write his own book ‘Crib’, which becomes a literary sensation a la Gone Girl. His moment in the literary spotlight is shadowed when he receives an email from someone calling themselves “TalentedTom” – one of many nods to Patricia Highsmith – saying simply: “You are a thief.” Can Jacob find out who TalentedTom is and how much he knows before his career is pulled out from under him?

The Plot is a knowledgeable and entertaining journey through the literary world and Korelitz clearly knows that world inside out. Referencing James Frey, Jonathan Franzen and Gillian Flynn the book is sharp on the importance of bookish social media on sales and on reputation. The central question of plagiarism is also given an interesting twist. Jacob only stole a plot, he wrote his own book so how fair is it to call him a thief?

Korelitz also includes chapters from Jacob’s book Crib within The Plot and at first I didn’t think this particularly worked, but as the book goes on and reality and plot become intertwined, it reveals itself to be an incredibly clever and necessary device. Highly enjoyable.

This was an enjoyable, gripping and clever literary thriller in which Jacob Finch Bonner, a disillusioned writer now teaching on a creative writing course, encounters a fairly unlikeable student with a truly original idea of a plot. He is consumed with jealousy, and after hearing that this student has met an untimely end, decides to use this plot for his next book.

Jacob is a likeable anti-hero: his literary ambitions are believable enough that we are almost prepared to forgive his act of plagiarism and to go along with his attempts at self-justification, and there is a satisfying irony in the fact that the success he has always dreamed of does not bring him the happiness he had hoped.

Along the way, the novel offers plenty of amusing insights into the literary world (with lots of references to actual books and writers), as well as asking pertinent questions about writing, stories, ownership and originality, and challenging our assumptions about gender.

The novel is very compelling overall with plenty of twists along the way. One of the ways that Jean Hanff Korelitz sustains our interest is by withholding the details of this supposed 'greatest plot ever' for most of the story. There's perhaps a bit of an anticlimax when we do find out what this amazing twist is, as I'm not sure it quite lives up the hype that the novel creates around it. There are one or two other twists which you may also see coming, but it should still deliver a fair few surprises.

Overall, this is a well-written and very engrossing read. Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for sending me an ARC to review.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me big DICKER, Joël vibes (and I really like his books). Very well paced, amazing writing, and a great plot (within another great plot).

My main issue may have been the plot twist that wasn't such a plot twist (if you see it coming, I guess).

I loved the undoing so i was really excited for this book & i was not disapointed!! This was another great release, and one i am sure to purchase once it hits the shelves

Incredibly slow at first but this picks up pace and becomes a completely captivating read.

What a brilliant twist!

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

Well, I will not give the plot away... it would be totally wrong! Suffice it to say, that I have enjoyed this literary, writerly thriller tremendously. The protagonist, Jake Finch Bonner (great name!!), an unfulfilled novelist when the story starts, is a great character to whom I warmed readily. The story that unfolds (the novelist finds a plot!) is full of insights about a writer's life, consciousness and explores a number of important questions about authorship, creativity, ownership.... Clearly, a problem Jake had was... but I better say nothing!! I really think it is better to know nothing of what will come.
There are at least three or four plots in this highly entertaining (funny, poignant, instructive...) novel and any number of well orchestrated, great scenes. I could see what was coming but didn't dare to imagine the final endgame.
A very satisfying read which I recommend heartily to anybody interested in writing and deviousness... Intelligent entertainment at its best.
With many thanks to Faber and NetGalley for the advance copy which I devoured in two sittings!

This extraordinary novel is one of the best I have read this year. I can't praise it highly enough. It is clever and witty and devious and ingenious all at the same time. It is a book I will recommend to everyone I know, it deserves to be a huge bestseller.

Jacob Finch Bonner is a novelist, a failed novelist now creative writing teacher. When one of Jake's students dies before writing his first novel, Jake helps himself to the plot. The book is a runaway success, a New York Times chart-topping best-seller, featured on Oprah's book club and now set to be adapted into a film by Hollywood. Everyone has read Jake's novel and someone knows he stole the story. If Jake can't uncover who is threatening to reveal his secret, he risks something worse than just the loss of his career.

Korelitz has written a highly addictive novel that burns slowly. I found this fascinating, exploring the idea of if a story is too good not to steal. I loved having a book within a book and getting to read chapters of Jacob's book alongside the story of The Plot, learning the twist of both stories simultaneously. A really clever book and I rate it highly!

Thanks Faber & Faber for sending me a copy - it publishes on 05/08/21 in the UK!

3.75💎

i just finished the e-book of this & ok but whAT IS THIS ENDING HOLY SHIT. i didn't see certain plot twists coming at all lmaoo, it got me thinking about how can someone even do such a thing. also it's crazy how the name of this book has such a double meaning, it's just horrible istg.
anyway, i did enjoy this story, it's unique and involves books/writing/publishing which is always something i absolutely love to read about. and it's a thriller, a huge bonus. the idea of it all is so well thought of, i hardly know any mystery/thriller books similar to this one.
i also really felt for Jake, all he's been thru and how he felt about it all throughout the book.
however... i didn't really vibe with the writing style. i don't even know how to explain it but it's just not something i personally like. the main character also kept repeating himself all the time about some things which i also found annoying. tbh, it was mainly the writing style and protagonist's inner thoughts what made me give such rating. it was good, but not my all time favorite!

This is an extremely entertaining book about a somewhat washed up author who suddenly has the story of a lifetime drop into his lap. Even though this potential masterpiece is not all Jake's own work he takes a risk and writes the novel that propels his career to heights he had formerly only dreamed of. Then out of the blue something happens that Jake has dreaded ever since he first heard the amazing plot. He is accused of plagiarism. Suddenly Jake's perfect life starts to feel very fragile and he is in danger of losing everything unless he can find out who is leaving the cryptic accusations about him and put a stop to it.

I love books about books and this one is doubly clever as we read Jake's famous novel in snippets alongside the main story. I have to say, however, that I didn't always love the writing style of The Plot, which consists of a lot of very long sentences and an abundant use of brackets. But that's just my personal opinion and I still greatly enjoyed the book and would certainly recommend it to other readers.

I absolutely loved this story. It had that meta element of the writing world which was interesting, but I equally felt sorry for an loathed the main character. False modesty etc. It really gripped me and made me want to read more.

I was so intrigued when I saw the plot of this book and was so excited to read it and it didn't disappoint.

I found the beginning to be a little slow but when it picked up it definitely flew. I read this book in an evening and couldn't put it down.

I loved that this was a book about writing a book and we got excerpts from the novel within the book itself.

The twist at the end was absolutely brilliant and I didn't want to put this down after the 50% mark.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I did manage to guess the twist but it was still a really great read!